Supporting on campus instruction via the WWW: A three year review of a flexible learning initiative

The project was based upon educational research which recognises that developing a deeper understanding of content requires more than passively absorbing a body of facts to be regurgitated on an examination. The intent behind PROJECT LEARN was not to replace face to face instruction, but to develop additional instructional resources which engage students in an active learning experience.

The importance of evaluation was recognised early in the project's design. Three years later, we can report on: 1) the impact of the program in terms of the number of subjects supported and their student enrolments, 2) statistics related to the usage of the web pages created, 3) student and staff perceptions of the value of those web based resources, and 4) the degree to which the project has met its original objectives.

From June '97 to July '99, the PROJECT LEARN team created resources for 39 subjects, with cumulative student enrolments of 7465 (reaching virtually the entire undergraduate student population). Access records show that students referred to their subjects' web pages from both on campus and off campus locations and at all hours of the day and night. Both students and staff were positive about the materials created. Academics re-used and expanded upon the web based materials created for them in previous semesters.

At the time of this writing (February 2000), the number of subjects with PROJECT LEARN authored websites has grown to 63. All share a consistent user interface with links to information about the subject; the subject outline (syllabus); email communication with the academic department, lecturer, and tutor; and learning resources such as lecture notes in the form of PowerPoint slides or text files, previous tests, interactive tutorials, and self check exercises. Many include links a "current notices" electronic bulletin board, a class discussion area, or related off campus sites.

The project has met its original goals in terms of raising academic staff awareness, reaching a large percentage of the undergraduate student population, and creating an opportunity for the university to trial the development and use of web based learning resources. By providing a consolidated location for posting subject materials and lecturer-student communications, each of the websites support the management of the teaching and learning process. However, only about a third of the websites can be said to contain resources which provide truly interactive learning experiences. This is not seen as a failure, but recognition that staff are learning to use a new medium. Most staff are still getting comfortable using the web for communicating with students and making their documents accessible. As they become more proficient with these capabilities and familiar with more innovative ways of using the web, it is expected they will be looking to develop the learning opportunities originally envisioned.

It can be concluded PROJECT LEARN is a successful initiative. Students and staff have benefited directly. It has been the topic of staff for a, cited in teaching awards, and referenced in University strategic planning documents. Its methods are transferable to other small universities, or schools within larger universities. However, the factors which have been identified as critical for PROJECT LEARN's success are generic and can be applied to any technology based learning initiative.