Page 9 - The Managed Learning Environment Strategic Gain_

The empirical underpinning for this paper was two sets of questionnaires and
semi-structured interviews undertaken with MBA/MSc students, full time, part
time and distance learning over a two year period. The first questionnaire set
covered case study use and effectiveness whilst the second addressed
technology acceptance of the on-line, interactive system of instruction.

Students at their initial class session were provided with the portal to their
course elements embedded in the institution’s online matrix (see diagram 2).
The objective for the lecturer, at its simplest level, was to create a paperless
classroom. One where he did not have to spend hours beforehand
photocopying handouts which he had forgotten to send to the print room.
More esoteric was the objective of developing asynchronous and real-time
communication between students and tutor where overtly the process of
learning was abrogated to the student. Covertly, the lecturer’s application
architecture itself guided the learning process (Gallagher, 2).

Application architecture is perhaps one of the most difficult and yet one of the
most easily over-looked areas when developing on-line multimedia strategies.

Architecture both covertly and overtly supports, directs, and communicates
with the user of an application. Yet all too often in our application’s
construction we fall into the trap of making assumptions which are often
spurious, lacking in clarity in both what we are trying to achieve and what our
target market is, and what is really required thereof.

Pedagogical content is fundamental to developing longevity in multimedia
educational applications. All too often producers of such applications are
captivated by the technology of the delivery system, producing sparkling,
colourful presentations with little regard to their content. This, however,
inevitably leads to a one-dimensional, ineffective, single use application.
Multimedia is the singer not the song. It stands or falls on the quality of its
content. It is a tool which when combined with the right content provides a
teaching and learning vehicle that significantly contributes to the learning
process.

Initially, the provision of online learning had the appeal of offering reducing
class contact time between the lecturer and the student. It seemed to offer the
student the ability to assess his/her progress through the embedded tests and
quizzes. Furthermore, it allowed the student to access articles and case
studies and associated flashcards with the ability to check their
comprehension and direct them to appropriate theory if a problem were
detected (Diagram 3 )