Perspective Chapter: University of Everywhere and Online Collaborative Learning Environment

Abstract

In this chapter, the focus will be on how modern technology has changed the concept and ideas of education in colleges and universities, how technology has been adapted to education, and the benefit of using it to facilitate the educational process by both lecturers and students. This research is important as it will demonstrate the effect e-learning has on educational methods, and the relationship technology has in improving the educational process. It was found that the University of Everywhere has solved the basic problems of providing one-to-one education to large numbers of people regardless of where they are located, in addition to the most important advantage of the idea of courses and education via the Internet and how the online collaborative learning environment allows more students to participate fully during classroom time. This chapter is useful in demonstrating to learners how they can continue to study even after they graduate from schools and universities by accessing the MOOC that is available free of charge and upon request, which helps in achieving a more participatory learning culture. This chapter also makes software recommendations for students and addresses critical features needed within the tools.

1. Introduction

This chapter will discuss the ways in which education currently contains different methods and tools, and the way this has changed the culture of e-learning. This has in turn changed the conceptualization of e-learning. For instance, the concept of a flipped classroom, whereby the teacher can create videos and interactive lessons, provides instructions, which can be followed remotely. This therefore demonstrates how technology can facilitate the process of learning online. The effects of this e-learning will also be discussed in regard to practical and financial constraints, and in comparison, with in-person learning. The motivation for this research is to provide a perspective into the current e-learning techniques and what routes are available for students to consider.

1.1 E-learning

E-learning, according to Haythornthwaite and Andrews [1], “constitutes more than a specific environment or site for learning; and that something is happening to the nature of learning itself that makes it different from learning as it has been conventionally conceived” (p. 47). Thus, e-learning is not just a variant of conventional learning. While it can be compared to conventional learning, it must be seen its own and must be continually studied.

Having Internet access can be said to facilitate learning everywhere or anytime. Ubiquitous learning refers to the availability of learning anywhere in such a way that day-in-day life is synchronized with the use of the computer. It becomes a normal thing to carry on with life at all circumstances. Through conversion and continuous digitization, we can say that Internet learning is made easier and an accessible form of informal education [2]. This ubiquitous computing infrastructure is what facilitates ubiquitous learning. Moreover, it supports the retrieval, evaluation, or contribution of data, and the instruction of a large amount of data to a community with similar interests. Ubiquitous learning is achieved with the aid of the various applications that locate, consume, support, and produce knowledge [3].

E-learning therefore makes the process of learning easier. It moves learning out of the classroom making a virtual school as contemporary education is graced online. Ubiquitous learning therefore aids in the utilization of resources that would have been taken for granted. Ubiquitous learning helps in realizing which views are required in terms of the many groups or pools of the same knowledge [3].

1.2 Social-technical E-learning

As e-learning is introduced to our learning institutions we have to look into its relationship with society. The social-technical perspective of e-learning focuses on the digital technology introduced to enhance informal learning. Advancing technology has a significant impact on the learning environment and how students learn in the contemporary world. Hayashi and Baranauskas [4] argue that it is important to understand the learning setting needed in the integration of education technology [1] in modern schools. Technology can take different forms in different contexts. That is, depending on the social, institutional, or political contexts hence the need for an evaluation.

Haythornthwaite and Andrews [1] discussed more on how adopting e-learning is of more importance than choosing an ideal technology. However, it is the active process where the service of learning is continuously balanced socially and technically. Technology and its proposed context of use are therefore tested using theories and social approaches to ascertain whether it can be accepted in the subject matter, institution, student body, or societal context. E-learning is evolving to a more collaborative style of learning where students are faced with change. In this case, students need to take active responsibility for working together and sustaining a discussion, while the teacher takes the role of being their facilitator [1].

This socio-technical alignment to address efficiency is also apparent in the new technology that has made MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) available to students around the world. A class of thousands of students in higher education was not conceivable years ago, but it is an increasingly common occurrence. In an article that discusses the differences in MOOC theories, González-Castro et al. [5] found there were eight major distinctions: connectivist, knowledge is generative, coherence is learner formed and instructor guided, interactions are distributed, multi-spaced, synchronization, resonance, innovation and impact focused, fostering autonomous and self-regulated learners. According to González-Castro et al. [5], “In a MOOC, learners possess different levels of knowledge.” MOOCs will be further discussed in this chapter.

Current issues with e-learning include technical difficulties such as connection issues, and audio and video issues, as well as student disengagement. Furthermore, there is an argument for e-learning content being too theoretical in nature and thereby is not as effective as in person teaching. Nonetheless, these problems can be addressed through appropriate measures. For example, providing recordings of the content for students to review in case of technological issues. Furthermore, students can be kept engaged through the design of interactive lecture content, as well through setting tests, time limits, and asking for feedback.

The next sections will delve into more detail on e-learning and the current issues and advantages it presents.

2. Research gap

Different research gaps are identified from the reviewed works of literature pointing to the need for developing more knowledge regarding online collaborative environments. Currently, there is limited knowledge on how to improve learner engagement and utilization of online resources by learners. The current design of programs to support online classes is not anchored on the specific needs of each student as learners may encounter different challenges in adapting to an online curriculum and supportive technologies. Although studies have acknowledged the need to adopt modern pedagogies for online learning, there is limited knowledge from studies that prescribe approaches and theories of learning that can be implemented in an online collaborative environment. Most of the current studies have made inquiries on online learning programs that follow the curriculum of the on-campus course where both physical and online classes occur. There is a need to analyze e-learning from the perspective of emerging online programs that are entirely online education and that learners are geographically dispersed.

3. Literature review

3.1 Cross-cultural issues

As the availability and accessibility of online learning increases, so do the number of students from around the world and the possibility of cultural differences. While the online collaborative learning environment allows more students to participate fully during classroom time, there is a multitude of cultures, styles, and institutional cultures that influence the online classroom. However, Haythornthwaite et al. [6] note that “the irony is that what is seen as a ‘global solution’ to learning may well impose upon cultures an inappropriate model of learning.” Likewise, Baker and Digiovanni [7] discuss the notion of the standardized curriculum in their article, about the basics of teaching related to culture: personal response to the single curriculum. While the rise of online learning has ironically imposed a Western idea of learning on a global audience of students, Baker and Digiovanni [7] suggest that it is important to consider the use of multicultural education. They argue that the current educational reform comes from a framework that excludes the opinion of teachers and students. Schools will benefit when the curriculum expands to provide different options so that students become knowledgeable enough and find opportunities for self-interaction [8]. They found that by being flexible with their curriculums, teachers can adapt to the changing needs of their student population. They believed that the student use of narratives allows students obtain a greater understanding of the curriculum as well as find ways to increase the culture of applying the curriculum to current and prior knowledge [9]. Again, it is the responsibility of educators to understand the possibility of their students’ cultural differences as they design their curriculum.

The creation of a curriculum in e-learning must be developed with regard to the students they are serving. For example, the City College of New York used Culture Quest, a professional development program considered to train teachers to essentially lead learners through inquiry-based examinations of different civilizations [10]. This program helped give educators a better understanding of classrooms with international students. In addition to teaching them about the technology used in blended classrooms, Culture Quest also taught them about cultural differences and cross-cultural issues. With the accessibility of MOOCs, the student population is now drawn from throughout the world. It is a more diverse and culturally aware online classroom today and professional development like Culture Quest is necessary.

3.2 Researching E-learning

E-learning is a fast-changing and ever-evolving field of study. Just as the exclusion and inclusion of different segments of students occur due to technological advances, current theories of e-learning must be re-evaluated. According to Haythornthwaite and Andrews [1], e-learning needs a new theory of learning, as this new theory applies to all disciplines and different fields of e-learning. In his blog “Don’t follow the crowd,” Beasley [11] believes that historically black colleges need a new theory of learning in the digital age. The author discusses the differences at the colleges, which include different student populations. Beasley [11] states that online programs are a very developed part of an increasingly evolving area of e-learning and are usually known as “disruptive.” This description represents the advancements that have not been adopted by organizations. The continued research of e-learning in universities in America and internationally, along with today’s evolving technologies, has contributed to a new type of global curriculum and a more participatory culture of learning. As stated by Haythornthwaite and Andrews [1], “e-learning needs to use traditional theories of learning and work on developing them using modern dimensions that apply to the principles and practices of e-learning (learning as an effect of communities and the navigation of their interconnections by learners), transformation, and emergence.”

In Ref. [12] case study of the Blackboard system, a conceptual model was created to determine student satisfaction with e-learning. The study found that learners’ characteristics will affect learners’ perceived fulfillment and perceived usefulness of a product. The study also showed that multimedia instruction and other interactive learning activities influenced the students’ perceived satisfaction. As the e-learning field continues to evolve, researchers must work with these data to create more effective online courses. From the university to the teacher to the student, e-learning research must be done on every level in order to generate a more effective curriculum and, eventually, better learning opportunities.

3.3 Physical campus and classrooms

Due to the contributions of Harvard, MIT, and other institutions to the field of online education, more learners around the world are able to attend these universities for free. This was not possible years ago, but as technology has changed the way people are educated, it has also changed the accessibility of this education. As noted in a previous sub-entry, the economics of higher education are changing the field. Student debt has risen, but with the advent of online education, this can stop the increased debt. Students are not required to pay thousands of dollars to attend one class at a physical campus. For example, they can now attend a class at Stanford University from their home in India. The physical campus and classrooms of a university are not necessary for the international student to attend and to participate in a course.

However, the physical campus and classrooms are not being eliminated. According to Blumenstyk [13], even those that are not as architecturally or artistically lauded still hold significant value, offering not just the classroom and laboratories of official education but the opportunity for students to cooperate more informally with their lecturers [14]. There is still value in the physical campus because most universities use the facility grounds for recruiting purposes. Students want to see where the classrooms are and feel like they are part of a college environment.

3.4 Software recommendations

The online courses and universities continue to grow so software that is capable of handling bigger workloads is needed to manage in the higher education institution. There are now many software programs and websites that claim to do this task. This type of software is crucial to the survival and growth of online education. According to Carey, one of the basic principles of effective online instructional design is the continuous assessment of how students are learning, their progress, and their knowledge acquisition [15]. Teachers must diligently assess their students’ progress and likewise, administrators must constantly assess the need to upgrade or replace computer software and hardware. Tools such as Software PhD can help tremendously when performing these tasks.

One software design that the author thought could be useful for higher education is a tool for assessing university credentials for awarding degrees. For example, my software design would assist the university with monitoring a student’s grades and proficiency before awarding a degree. This is similar to Blackboard and other online tools, but the current tool would be more advanced and it would be able to test students more accurately in their knowledge and skill level.

With the current software design, it would help universities counter what Carey [16] wrote in Chapter 9: Time-based degrees reinforce and augment the strength of rare and expensive institutions, and academic degrees show little about what was learned [17]. Traditional universities were the only institutions that students believed they could earn their degrees. The hybrid universities have changed this perception and the current software design would continue to develop the institution’s ability to award meaningful degrees. It would not be just an accumulation of course units or a grade point average, but it would be as assessment of a student’s ability to utilize their acquired knowledge. They would use the software to complete tasks that were relevant to their field of study. The software would manage their grades and the course resources like Blackboard, but it would go beyond these functions and transform the way a student would earn a degree.

3.5 Disruptive technologies

Disruptive technologies are described as “Innovations that create an entirely new market through the introduction of a new kind of product or service, which is initially judged to be worse on the basis of the performance metrics that mainstream customers value” [18]. The disruptive technologies of today have enabled the hybrid and online universities to continue to grow in influence and stature. In chapter 8 of Carey’s book [16], he looks at how Harvard and MIT have used technology to open up its virtual doors to learners who want to experience higher education at two of the top schools in the world. According to Wing [19], the emergence of technology and its use to obtain courses via the Internet have the greatest impact on changing the methods of education and that Harvard and MIT acknowledge the influence that technology is having on education.

Likewise, according to Carey [16], the research by MIT continues to build on Moore’s law and is said to be the reason for the Silicon Valley business model and the higher-education technology revolution. Institutions such as MIT contribute by developing the technology as well as implementing into their own business models. The disruptive technologies have changed the accessibility and cost of attending classes at these top schools. Additionally, the quality of these courses can be analyzed more closely [16]. The value of individual courses is often overtaken by an institution’s good repute and standing. It is not always the case that these individual classes maintain or live up to that expectation and standard. Increasing accessibility also increases the visibility of the online courses; thus, the university itself is under more intense scrutiny.

With this scrutiny, online higher education can improve and offer students a better learning experience. As Haythornthwaite et al. [6] writes, The technology ultimately exceeds the performance of prior products and develops to the level that it satisfies the majority market. Firms that support the disruptive technology “displace incumbent firms that supported the prior technology.” These new technologies can offer a more student-centered learning experience. For example, there can be more student-generated content and collaboration on blogs and discussion boards. Students can also access course resources at their convenience and repeat lessons online as necessary. These features can be utilized at a lower cost for students, even as the visibility of these online courses increases.

3.6 Online collaborative learning environment

As more learners take advantage of the free online courses, their influence is being felt. Students from around the world participate in these courses and teachers have included them, thus creating a more participatory culture of learning. Much like DuoLingo and other educational applications, MOOCS has been more student-centric than courses in the past.

The online collaborative learning environment allows more students to participate fully during classroom time. Just as the exclusion and inclusion of different segments of students occur due to technological advances, current theories of e-learning must be re-evaluated to incorporate the influence of cultures and contributions from around the world. This collaborative learning environment was apparent in the case of [20], a Mongolian teenage learner who earned a perfect score in an MIT MOOC. After earning his score, he was offered a job at MIT, where he helped improve the school’s MOOCs. The school learned that even though he did not take any of the prerequisite courses, he was able to find free resources on the Internet and taught himself the necessary skills to complete the MIT course. After he started working at the company, MIT produced an online course entitled “tutorials for some key concepts that students might not know” [20].

The promise of free online education for all may not be possible. According to the study MOOCS: Expectations and Reality, the costs of MOOCs are significant, and generally, the indication suggests that MOOCs are currently falling far short of “democratizing” education and may, for now, be doing more to rise gaps in access to education than to reduce them [21]. Likewise, in the journal Inside Higher Education, Straumsheim [22] noted that Coursera, a MOOC provider, is trying to find a working business model. The website still offers most college courses for free, but has started to charge for certain classes and certificates because financial reasons are behind its decision to custody some students up front. There must be the revenue generated at some point; thus, certain MOOC providers offer a paid option to receive academic credit for completed courses.

In addition to the feasibility of free online education is the issue of effective online learning. In a blog about learning through a MOOC, Hao [23] noted that to take benefit of resources like MOOCs effectively, a learner has to be able to think critically, understand clearly the knowledge structure of a subject and his/her own abilities, constantly detect learning issues, search online for additional learning material, and seek support through an individual studying network. Is the standard university student ready for this type of education? [23]. Current research must continue to analyze the effectiveness of online learning. As Blumenstyk [13], writes in American Higher Education in Crisis?, investigation by the community college research center have found that community college students, who are more likely to be low-income and less-prepared educationally, extract from virtual courses at a upper rate compared with face-to-face courses [24]. Although students have access to more technology than before, they may not be ready for the demands of online learning. This e-exclusion will continue to grow if educators and learners do not have the technical skills necessary to teach and learn in an online environment.

As shown in these examples, the democratization of higher education is not as clear-cut and positive as many portrayals of them have been. Further research is needed on online learning and its effectiveness as more universities continue to add MOOCs to their catalogs. The global curriculum and increased online collaboration have helped create more learning opportunities for students around the world, but we must ask ourselves if it is effective. As Carey [16] noted, the creation of the modern university system in America could be coming to an end because of the rise of MOOCs, but we must be determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past: “It is a deeply flawed, irrational institution designed to be bad at the most important thing it does: educate people” [25].

3.7 Summary of literature review

The main issues addressed in the literature review include a multicultural dimension of online education, re-evaluation of research theories of e-learning, accessibility of physical educational facilities, e-learning software, disruptive technologies in online education, and the effectiveness of MOOCs. Designing an online education curriculum should consider the cultural differences of online learners to adapt to their needs better. While studying the models of learning in an online environment, previous studies have pointed to the need for incorporating new theories that apply to the principles and concepts of e-learning. Using modern theories in the research of e-learning would facilitate the development of better curriculums for online courses. Apart from the re-evaluation of theories, various works of literature have pointed to the need for physical campus facilities such as laboratories and classrooms to support student cooperation and integration.

Software like Blackboard is an interactive learning management system that has continuous assessments of students’ learning progress and knowledge acquisition. Software like Blackboard can effectively track a student’s grades and proficiency to enable the school in awarding degrees and certificates. The main challenges with learning software like Blackboard and Moodle are the complexity of navigating through tasks and the limited capability of assessing learners’ knowledge acquisition. An important element of an e-learning software system is to effectively assess the knowledge and skills learners acquire throughout the course rather than grading based on point average. Similarly, various works of literature have mentioned the role of disruptive technologies in promoting better learning experiences in online classrooms. A notable contribution of disruptive technologies relates to the shifting of accessibility and cost of attending higher education.

On the other hand, there are some shortcomings relating to the reviewed literature. Most of the reviewed studies have not documented the effectiveness and feasibility of fully online learning as a substitute for physical classes. There is still a knowledge gap on how to effectively utilize the learning management systems in an online class, especially with regard to students’ motivation to utilize the vast resources in the system. Learners may face different challenges in fulfilling the demands of online classes; thus, more research is needed to evaluate the strategies for developing teachers’ and learners’ technical skills needed in navigating an online environment. Although online classes proved to be effective in the democratization of higher education, very little is known concerning the challenges that may face by those requiring practical lessons like lab tests. More research is needed to devise better approaches to incorporating physical campus facilities like laboratories into online lessons without impacting technical skill development. Due to these reasons, my research intends to prescribe the effective learning management for massive open online courses (MOOC) that promotes the democratization of higher education; an enhanced collaboration of learners and teachers; a user-friendly and interactive environment; reliable assessment of the acquisition of knowledge and skills by learners.

4. Conclusion

The University of Everywhere continues to evolve, influence, and change the field of higher education. Learners from all over the world from many types of economic situations are now able to attain their education. As technology improves, these online colleges can provide even more opportunities to students. Traditional colleges and universities have already integrated the use of technology into their classrooms and they are now facing the challenges of economic feasibility. The University of Everywhere will continue to grow and give opportunities to more learners while also showing the weaknesses of traditional education.