Implementation of High-Quality E-Learning and Self-Motivation - Case Study Example

MODEL IMPLEMENTATION Introduction Implementation of an interactive learning model in an institution needs to be implemented together with other institution’s processes. This process can be hindered with myriads of problems if the implementation process is not well planned and anticipated issues are not address early and communicated to the right participant in the right way[Cec04]. The use of proper and adequate planning techniques is probably the first crucial step in the process of model implementation. Planning should be in line with the institutions’ strategic plans and should be affordable to the organization. This paper explore the discuss the context and content of this model, a detailed description of the process involved in design and implementation of the interactive learning model, a logical and graphical presentation of the anticipated concepts of interactive learning model solution. The paper also examines some of the design-related issues anticipated once the first working system is conceived and delivered to the participants [Aus03]. Context of the model In this project, my focus will be on design and implementation of an interactive learning model that will be used by mathematics teachers to interactively and innovatively teach mathematics lessons, and their students to share knowledge and ideas. The design model is indented to facilitate problem solving in mathematics and also enhance collaboration among teachers in the area of learning and research. With the help of this model, participants in this field will be able to engage with others thereby gaining a deeper knowledge about e-learning tools and their contribution in promoting classroom learning, as well as enhancing education processes and procedures. Content of the model As discussed the my previous work, my designed model would present a variety of intriguing activities and interactive web 2.0 tools with regard to the learning mathematics. I will integrate the following: Participants Blogs which provide an easy and effective way of making publications and updates on the web. (Weller, Pegler & Mason, 2005, p.62). Use of interactive games also makes learners develop interest and innovative approaches of solving and demystifying otherwise difficult mathematical problems and assist student internalize some of the mathematical concepts (Oblinger, 2006) Forums facilitate discussions among participants on various issues. Content development tools In developing e-contents for this model, I would make use of a number of eLearning contents developments tools such as i. Mathjax which is a cross-browser JavaScript display engine that enable the display of a wide variety of mathematical equations on web browsers, ii. Voki which enables participants to integrate their own voice in a talking characters which can be an animal or customized to any creature, iii. Quiz maker which is used to create questions that student have to answer in the course of the lessons delivery. iv. Presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint to develop presentation materials Through this tool, mathematics teachers can be able to design rich and interactive e-contents that would be integrated in my model. These tools facilitate collaboration among teachers in designing learning resources and also enable students to be able to view the contents on their browsers (Salmon 2002). Webinar is a web-based seminar that can be accessed by both learners and teachers to share and deliver some concept online classes. Resource Centrewould also be available for the community to have unlimited and free access to course materials. It would also include recorded tutorials or presentation. Changes in the model Presentation software such as MsPowerPoint will also be included in the model to be used by teachers during the e-content development to prepare presentation, development of games and animation of the mathematical concepts. Story Board Course name: calculus Graphics: Lesson Number: 2 Lesson Name: simultaneous equations Slide name: simul 1 Slide number: 3 Date Last Modified: 30th Oct, 2012 Slide Content: What kind of solution do the simultaneous equations  y = x, x + y = 4 Narration: When simultaneous equations are solved using either elimination or substitution or graphical solution the answer is the same. Interactivity: when the graph is clicked animated graph appears showing how the answer is arrived at graphically Notes for Developer: Figure: 1: Adapted from [Nic12] The students will be provided with a number of simultaneous equations where they will solve using the three methods: substitution, elimination and graphical method. They system provide animated graph of how solution is arrived at graphically once the student enters the necessary parameters. Evaluation of the system The system provided step by step instructions for solving the mathematical problems in this course, and provided the students with interactive graphical animation and audio effectives which explain and expound the mathematical concept under study during this lesson. The system also provided a platform where students could discuss some of the mathematical solutions and also provided teachers with the platform for evaluating students to determine their level of progression on the topic [Cec04]. Modification of the model The current system, do not provide a system of navigating back to the lesson. For example students do not have a way of going back to knowledge construction once they are in the stage of knowledge display. Model extract Implementation approaches The most difficult part in the integration of the learning model is the implementation plan because the model architecture must be defined to meet the program goal and fall within the postulated budget. Model architecture in this matter refers to all the resources that support the implementation of the system; these include stakeholders, hardware, software, policies and procedures. The implementation will be guided by defined goals which will be defined at the initial implementation plan [Nic12]. These goals will be communicated to all the stakeholders as this will help gain support during the implementation of the model. To reduce the implementation complexities these goals will be divided into short term goals and long term goals. Short term plan In the short term plan I would start implementing the model in my work place which is high school with my colleagues who are also mathematic teachers. Borrowing from Weimin and Yuefeng (2005) suggestions, the first important step towards the implementation of my interactive mathematic model is the formation of an implementation team comprising of all the stalk holders engaged in the process. This team includes the institution’s management, the staff, students and other external participants [Nic05]. To gain the management support I will organize meetings with the management and explain to them the importance and gains accrued on upon the implementation of the model within the institution. I will prepare the budget and present the necessary resources required to support the implementation of the system [Chr04]. Upon gaining the management support, I will approach the teachers in the department and highlight the goals, benefits and the anticipated challenges of implementation of the model with a view of gaining their support and encourage them to appreciate the need for change in the manner in which mathematic lessons are delivered and evaluated in the institution. The next step is would give the staff workshops to train them on skills of developing e-contents such as animations, games and presentations using various content development technologies and applications such as Ms PowerPoint, mathjax, voki and quiz maker.Through these tools, mathematic teachers can be able to design rich and interactive e-contents that would be integrated in my model. E-content development E-contents forms an integral part of my model and its development and implementation calls for specialized activities, and involved wide consultations and team effort for successful implementation of effective, student centered and reusable e-contents [Wei05]. To effectively undertake this task I will adopt the Australian National Training Authority (2003) model. Implementation plan for e- content i. Planning Under planning the following activities will be carried out the following: a) Articulating the learning objective: this involves clearly communicating to my fellow team mates on the learning aims and objectives, which includes the appearance of the screen, what the student should do, the student experience and the final learning outcome. b) Characterizing the user (student) requirement-this involves identifying the target audience and figuring out there circumstances and needs. c) Identify the existing contents and need for new contents d) Identify technical constraints ii. Contents design and writing Under this section the team members will establish and evaluation criteria for which students would gain knowledge, demonstrate skills, and understanding. At this stage I will engage the staff on several brainstorming section to deliberate on the screen design, contents to be displayed, the various multimedia effects to apply among other instruction design issues. Once key development issues have been sorted out the team engages on material development bearing in mind the student needs, reusability issues. iii. Evaluation Once the e-content materials are ready they are presented to the students and the team for testing and review. The feedback from the review will assist to fine tune the contents and provide ways of projecting future enhancement [Chr04]. Materials development This phase takes the material produced in the writing and planning phases and turns it into product. Establishment of resources center Figure 2 :The necessary skills for successful implementation of the model (Shephard, 2002) The next step after training staff I will engage them in studying the syllabus and identifying the areas in mathematics that have initial given learners and teachers difficult in grasping the concept and on the part of teachers areas that gave them challenges in delivering the concepts effectively with a view of animating and making the unit interactive and facilitate sharing of knowledge among the teachers and students in general [eLe10]. Upon identification of potential areas in mathematics I will assign each staff the task of developing the e-content utilizing the applications and tools they earlier learnt. During this process I will encourage the teachers at first, to collaboration and share knowledge and ideas with each other using emails, blogs and forums. Preparation of infrastructure The model depend on the ICT infrastructure such as the computers used by learners and the teachers, server for central storage of information and where the model system will sit, and communication channels used for training communication. I will work closely with the management to provide us with the necessary ICT facilities such as the server. The server can be bought and installed within the school or the institution can subscribe for space in the cloud from internet services providers.They should also facilitate the installation of wireless access point so the participants have access to the resources. Figure 3: ICT Infrastructure At the server we will have the interactive control for managing the e-resources, registering, tracking and evaluating the progress of the learners. The interactive control will also give different privileges to each group of participants. Once the ICT infrastructure is established I will encourage teachers to store all their e-contents in the resource center for all to get access to the resources. We would test this model on my school' students. We would encourage the students to login the model and engage them to participate in the e-contentsand online quiz. Based on feedback by teachers and students we can evaluate our model andidentifydeficienciesandimprovetheminthefuture. Long term goals For long term plan, as a team we intend to train teachers and student from other schools on the use and implementation of the design in teaching and learning mathematics in a highly interactive platform with a view of boosting the performance of mathematics in general. At this period we will concentrate on training teachers how to use e-tools in their classrooms to explain some lessons in the subject and solve mathematical problems and to training students on how to use social network e.g. faceBook to share mathematics knowledge to assist students with difficulties in grasping some mathematical concept. Since the use of webinars require extensive Upgrade of the ICT infrastructure the may involve other outside stakeholders to provide fast and reliable internet connectivity we would spread its implementation for a period of 3 to 5 years. During this period the staff will be training on the skills of how to deliver contents online and how to interact with the student online real-time. Once the system is in place we intend to design an evaluation metric to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-contents and the effectiveness of the model in general. Table 1: Implementation evaluation criteria (Poulova 2003) Managing the community Every participant using the system must be registered with the system and they should accept the read and agree to the terms and conditions of using the system, and every interaction with the system is recorded in a log file for future audit trails. Members will also be trained on proper usage of the system to avoid abusing the system particularly the interactive tools provided by the system. Implementation schedule SCHEDULE DURATION 1 Manage support(proposal writing & approval) 1 month 2 Staff sensitization & training 1 month 3 Content development 1 month 4 ICT infrastructure establishment 2 month 5 Resource repository 1 month 6 Student sensitization & training 1 month 7 Model testing & evaluation 7 month 8 Expansion to other institution 2yrs 9 Training on the use of web 2yrs Gantt chart     1ST YR 2ND YR 3RD YR     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12     1 Manage support(proposal writing & approval)                             2 Staff sensitization & training                             3 Content development                             4 ICT infrastructure establishment                             5 Resource repository                             6 Student sensitization & training                             7 Model testing & evaluation                             8 Expansion to other institution                             9 Training on the use of web                             Challenges or obstacles Insufficiency of funds E-learning as it involves the use of machines and several other equipment e.g computers which might be expensive to acquire this might hinder as all cannot be provided, especially in the rural areas where we find that most of the people are from humble background. Awareness Generally we find that there is still a lack of awareness amongst teachers, students, especially parents about the importance and effectiveness of e-learning. Many parents feel the traditional learning mode is better Low Adoption Rate The resultant to low adoption rate has been highly contributed by lack of e-content, inadequate infrastructure, problem of digital divide, illiteracy especially in the rural areas though we find most institutions are keen to embrace e-learning. Bandwidth Issue and Connectivity In most engaging content, multimedia components are highly required and due to bandwidth and connectivity limitations where downloading is slow most of the learners get bored and frustrated thus affecting the ease of learning, hindering e-learning Computer Literacy and Digital Divide In most countries, there is a wide range of the population who are computer Illiterate especially in the rural areas, this therefore hinders introduction which leads to no implementation of E-learning. Lack of Quality E-Content Implementation of high quality e-learning is currently in dearth need in most countries but due to lack of experts and finance used to develop the content, e-learning is lowly interacted to learners giving a moderate impact Difficulty in Engaging Learners Online Self-motivation among others is the base to active online learning which is found to be lacking among most of the learners which could be one of the key factors in determining the Success of an e-learning program but most learners finds it difficult to migrate from the traditional mode to new e-learning mode . Language Barrier As English is used in e-learning it hinders the success because not all countries speak English and many would like to enroll but they are deterred since they are not confident with the content in English. Conclusion E-learning should be implemented but with clear goals which delivers strong benefits and rewards to avoid resistance and to make change in established practices, where the goals should be communicated for support in the organization. To reduce risk of failure and establish early wins, Implementation is done in a slow and deliberative pace where it should proceed aggressively as one of the few IT’s investment that has been shown to deliver tangible results for a large number of organizations References Cec04: , (Cech & Bures, 2004), Aus03: , (Australian_National_Training_Authority, 2003), Nic12: , (Legault, 2012), Cec04: , (Cech & Bures, 2004), Nic05: , (Nichols & & Anderson, 2005), Chr04: , (Smith & Zenios, 2004), Wei05: , (Weimin & Yuefeng, 2005), eLe10: , (eLeap, 2010), Read More