Barbour, M. K. (2012, May). Examining the development of primary and secondary online learning clusters in New Zealand. A brown bag presentation to the Humanities Center at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

1. Examining the Development of
Primary and Secondary Online
Learning Clusters in New Zealand
Michael Barbour, Instructional Technology
College of Education

3. New Zealand

4. New Zealand
• two main islands separated by the Cook Strait.
• closest neighbor is Australia (over 1200 miles
away)
• 4.4 million people in 2006 (1% increase from
2001)
o 67.6% European
o 14.6% Maori
o 9.2% Asian
o 6.9% Pacific Peoples
• three official languages: English, Maori &
American Sign Language

5. Virtual Learning Network
VLN Primary
Te Kura
Several tertiary's

6. Research Purpose
To capture, in a range of ways, information that
will contribute to the knowledge base about the
development of virtual schooling in New
Zealand, in particular, how the Learning
Communities Online Handbook is being used to
assist and inform this development.

7. Research Questions
1.(a) What common barriers do e-learning
clusters face in their development towards
maturity and sustainability?
(b) How have mature and sustainable clusters
overcome those barriers?
1. What are some examples of how networked
schools are emerging in the New Zealand
context?

8. Data Collected
• Interviews
– 10 current & former ePrincipals
– 8 Principals & Deputy Principals
– 12 eTeachers, eDeans& Facilitators
– 18 Students
• Observations
– 12 video conferencing session
– 10 asynchronous work locations
• Document Analysis
– reports, courses, data, school newsletter, cluster info, etc.

9. Research Visits

10. Research Visits
• 9 current or emerging clusters
• 3 VLN-related projects
• 13 schools
• 1 health school
• Te Kura
• 9 tertiary institutions

11. Learning Communities Online Handbook, 2011

12. Common Obstacles
• Funding and resources
• Lack of vision
• Lack of consistency
between clusters
• Lack of co-operation
– inter-cluster
– intra-cluster

13. Common Obstacles
• Lack of vision
• Funding, resources
and the role of the
ePrincipal
• Lack of inter-cluster
and intra-cluster co-
operation

14. Lack of Vision
• process of creating a vision
for an e-learning initiative
is critical and was clearly
evident in this data
• clusters with greatest
support were those able to
articulate a vision that
went beyond the provision
of distance education
courses & opportunities
that the tools could
provide
• sustainable vs. mature

15. Funding, Resources & Role of the
ePrincipal
• Resources
• leadership
• teachers (both to teach the
courses and to support
students at the local level)
• professional development
• asynchronous (e.g., LMS) &
synchronous (e.g.,
videoconferencing, bridge
& etc.) tools

16. Funding, Resources & Role of the
ePrincipal
• Funding
• participating schools
– put in a teacher, get access to
enrolments
– contribute money or % of a
teacher for cluster leadership
• no formal mechanism for
heavy users
• challenges with funding
when original national
programme ends

17. Funding, Resources & Role of the
ePrincipal
• Role of the ePrincipal
• little consistency in job
description
• principal of an online
school
• need/case for Ministry
support
– largest clusters have 300-400
enrolments (80-100 FTEs)
– some clusters have 5-10 FTEs

18. Lack of Inter- & Intra-Cluster Co-
operation
Art History 5 Clusters + Te Kura
Level 3 Calculus 5 Clusters
Level 2 Physics 4 Clusters
Level 3 Physics 4 Clusters
Level 3 Spanish 4 Clusters
30 courses 2+ Clusters

19. Lack of Inter- & Intra-Cluster Co-
operation
• Do the eTeachers of these
same courses communicate
with each other?
• Have each of the eTeachers
designed their own
asynchronous course
content that is housed in
the learning management
system?
• Do each of the eTeachers of
common courses have
access to each other’s
course materials?

20. Lack of Inter- & Intra-Cluster Co-
operation for a student to register
• Is it possible
• Do the five level three calculus
eTeachers interact with the level for level one mathematics with SILC
three mathematics eTeacher or the this year and become comfortable with
four level three statistics and the way in which their teacher uses
modeling eTeachers? their video conferencing classes and
with the resources and material
• Do these ten level three maths provided in their LMS only to have to
eTeachers interact with the two become familiar with a completely
eTeachers responsible for level two different method of synchronous
mathematics and/or the one eTeacher instruction and asynchronous material
responsible for level one and resources that appear completely
mathematics? foreign to them next year when that
student enrolls in level two
• Outside of the senior secondary level, mathematics offered by OtagoNet?
have the two Year 7-8 Te Reo Maori
eTeachers ever interacted with the
two level one Te Reo Maori eTeachers
or the single level three Te Reo
eTeacher?

21. Pockets of Innovation
• Changing teacher
practice
• Opening classrooms
• Mentor teacher
• Considering student
learning space

22. Wenmoth (2010)

30. Davis (2007)

34. Moving Forward
• E-Learning Clusters
– coordinate activities between
clusters
– examine the role of VLN
leadership & whether there is
geographic or like-minded
rationalisation that can occur
• Ministry of Education
• continue services
• create content repository
• fund regional leadership

35. Future Research
• a national survey of
distance education
activity & processes
– # of students
– # of teachers
– # of courses
– which courses
– resource model
– technologies/software
• include VLN clusters, Te
Kura, health schools,
tertiary groups

36. Your
Questions
And
Comments

37. http://www.vln.school.nz/mod/file/download.php?file_guid=114023