UK: Virtual lectures? No thanks, say students

The British government is keen to promote e-learning, as are UK universities. Yet research shows that students still prefer face-to-face learning. Next year will see the conclusion of a project which began in October 2003, run by the Joint Information Systems Committee to identify how e-learning can benefit learners, practitioners and educational institutions, and it will advise how its findings can be implemented.

But there is evidence already to show that students are eager to use information technology, although not overwhelmingly so. A study by two academics from Leeds University on the 'Net Generation', the cohort of young people born between 1982 and 1991 who have started their higher education with experience of using online systems, found that students had positive attitudes to using blogs, podcasts and wikis in learning.

Writing in Medical Teacher, Dr John Sandars and Dr Catriona Morrison said: "The Net Generation is a challenge to the way that all universities and medical schools provide teaching and learning. All educators need to be aware of incoming students' skills and experience and do more to promote their use in the undergraduate curriculum."

However, they concluded that teachers should not abandon traditional teaching methods entirely as students would continue to appreciate personal communication with their educators.

Another study, Convenience, communications and control: how students use technology, by Robert B Kvavik for the American Educause Center for Applied Research, reported how one student captured the respondents' mixed opinions on technology in the classroom, noting: "Information technology is just a tool. Like all tools, if used properly it can be an asset. If it is used improperly, it can become an obstacle to achieving its intended purpose. Never is it a panacea."

Another commented: "I think universities should ease up on pushing information technology. I have an associate's degree in computer science, and, yes, I am a Luddite." Conversely, one enthusiastic student commented: "I love information technology. It has helped me to grow tremendously academically this year and it strengthened my relationships with teachers, classmates, and friends." Another noted that technology made the faculty member seem more detached.

"For many, Luddite or not, information technology in the classroom is problematic in that it undermines face-to-face contact and has little impact on their learning," said Kvavik. "I feel like I have lost part of the vital student-teacher connection."
Sandars, who is the academic lead for e-learning in the medical education unit at Leeds University, warned that e-learning could be "quite nerdy - techie-driven. But it's not toys for boys, it is about learning". He found that students often made a clear distinction between using technology for social activities and learning but noted that "some don't engage very well with a virtual learning environment".
di.spencer@uw-news.com