This document summarizes an organization called Digital Campus that provides eLearning services. It discusses key issues driving the need for more technology in education like increasing student numbers and demands. It then defines eLearning, highlights strengths like improved collaboration, and weaknesses like needing teacher training. Opportunities include replacing lectures with active learning. The organization has experience delivering eLearning training and developing courses at Mekelle University. It recommends a blended learning approach, open computer labs, and recognition for eLearning work. Its services include training, course development, strategy consultation, and maintaining the ICT infrastructure.

1. Digital Campus:
eLearning Services
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

2. Key Issues
●
Students demanding more
technology based course materials
and activities
●
Teachers need skills in how to use
technology effectively
●
Rapid teaching staff turnover
●
Increasing student numbers
●
The need to improve teaching and
learning experience
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

3. What is elearning?
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

4. What is eLearning?
●
"E-learning comprises all forms of
electronically supported learning
and teaching"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-learning)
●
Technology enhanced learning:
technology to improve the student
learning experience
●
Combined with face to face
teaching to form blended learning
●
More about improving pedagogy,
less about the actual technology
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

5. What eLearning is not...
●
Not simply uploading powerpoint
presentations/documents
●
Not simply giving students a list
of internet links
●
Not only for distance learning
●
Not dependent on internet
connection (can be run on a
local network)
●
Not to replace the teacher
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

6. eLearning Strengths
●
Improve student collaboration
through the use for forums,
discussions, blogs, wikis and other
tools
●
Reuse existing high quality content
(e.g. Open Educational Resources)
●
Online student assignment
submission
●
Multimedia delivery (videos,
animations, images, podcasts)
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

7. eLearning Weaknesses
●
Doesn't guarantee the quality of
courses produced
●
Teachers need training/support
in how to use elearning
effectively
●
Won't necessarily reduce costs
(in the short term)
●
Requires reliable and robust ICT
infrastructure and open access
computer labs for students
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

8. Opportunities
●
Chalk and talk style lectures can be replaced with more active and
participatory teaching and learning methods
●
Better handover between lecturers of course materials.
●
Better quality control management of courses
●
Learners (not just teachers) contribute to the educational experience
●
More consistent course delivery for courses taught by several
teachers (all can use the same content and activities)
●
Open many other opportunities for digital classrooms, lecture capture
and publishing
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

9. Moodle
●
Moodle is one of the most widely used
course management systems, used by
some of the biggest universities (eg
Open University UK)
●
Free and open source, runs on a
standard web server (can be installed
on a local network)
●
Can support 1000's of users and courses
●
Provides activities such as forums, chat, wikis, quizzes, assignments
plus many more
●
Well supported and with active user community for teaching and
technical advice/support
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

10. Our Experience
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

11. Training delivered
●
2 years of delivering elearning
training to teachers at Mekelle
University
●
40 teachers completed
●
Blended learning course
●
Over 50 courses developed (28 from
HS, 21 from Tech, 4 from Pedagogy)
●
Over 25 elearning specialists from
other Ethiopian Universities trained
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

12. Course participation
●
Over 1000 students registered
●
Visit the MU elearning site: http://www.mu.edu.et/elearning
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

13. Recommendations
●
Requires elearning strategy/policy from the University
●
Recognition for training participants
●
Blended learning approach works better than online only
●
Student engagement depends on recognition (e.g. count towards
their course grades)
●
Essential that students get open access to computer labs
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

14. Our Approach
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

15. Training and Certification
●
Certification for teachers
(Masters level course from Alcalá
University, Spain)
●
Creative commons licensed
course content
●
Support/training for elearning
teams
●
Support/training for ICT teams
●
Student Inductions
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

16. ●
Focus on practical issues and skills
●
Using Moodle course management software
●
For teachers new to online or blended learning
●
3 month (1 semester), part time (approx 100 hours)
●
Blended learning approach (face to face workshops and online)
●
View the course at:
http://moodle.alexlittle.net/course/view.php?id=13
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

17. Certification Content
●
How to create a well structured and
formatted online/blended course
●
How to upload existing content in
appropriate formats
●
Creating online activities, quizzes,
assignments etc
●
Using multimedia, videos, animations
●
Current issues around use of elearning
and web 2.0 technologies
●
Enhancing course content using open
educational resources
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

18. Strategy and Policy Development
●
University wide elearning
strategy
●
Based on best practice from UK
Universities
●
Supporting university elearning
teams to deliver the strategy
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

19. Digital Campus ICT
Infrastructure
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

20. ICT Infrastructure
●
elearning is worthless if students
don't have the means to access
●
24 hour 7 days a week open
access computer labs
●
Focus on the key tools: web
browser, email and office
●
All students have their own
account and desktop environment
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

21. Focus on service, not hardware
●
Reliable, well maintained ICT
infrastructure with service level
agreement
●
Use thin client technology
●
Hyper-scalable and flexible: build
in new/existing hardware
●
Modular but integrated elearning
systems
●
Using Open Source software (no
license fee)
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

22. Modular Applications
Mobile Applications
Student Info Systems
Patient Records
kaltura (video)
moodle (e-learning)
e-mail / web
Modules Digital Campus Infrastructure
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

23. Benefits
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

24. For the university
●
Well trained staff producing
quality course materials and
activities
●
Improved student learning
experience
●
Better course content
management with high staff
turnover
●
Managed and supported ICT
infrastructure
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

25. For the teacher
●
Move away from lecture oriented
teaching
●
Training and certification
●
Reliable ICT infrastructure for
elearning activities
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

26. For the student
●
Improved learning
experience
●
Higher quality course
content and activities
●
Personalized desktop
environment available from
any client device
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

27. Summary
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011

28. Our Services
●
eLearning training and certification for all staff involved in elearning
delivery
●
Facilitated elearning training course, either through blended learning
or online only
●
Integrated with robust and scalable ICT infrastructure
●
eLearning server installation, training, support and administration
(using Moodle)
http://digital-campus.org
© 2011