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BUSINESS AND MULTI-MEDIA: A TEACHING PERSPECTIVE
Multi-media usage has not only captured the imagination of students, but has also begun to stir the imagination of some lecturers. Mainly the young ones though, as the more veteran lecturers see computer-aided lectures as a gimmick rather than as contributing substantially to education and training. Internet and CD Rom, they feel, belong outside the classroom, and do not actually contribute much to the acquisition of skills. A growing body of research, however, shows that the computer is a very useful tool indeed in assisting the student in acquiring skills. In this paper I would like to highlight some of the considerations for using computers in the classroom, some conditions and some experiences gathered in the Netherlands in vocational training.
Why is it useful to use computers in vocational training?
A first group of reasons often given is that computer usage provides better connections between students and the 'companies out there'. Companies which have their own HomePages can use this to attract the right trainee. On their homepage the company can list what kind of student they are looking for, what the work is they are involved in and what the student can hope to acquire, and what enumeration they can offer. This provides the company with a document that help them guide their trainee and be a fairly cheap way of advertising the company's line of business, their mission statement and the occasional vacancy, as well as force the company into a more global way of thinking. Students can shop around for an appropriate traineeship more efficiently. and can use Internet connections to rapidly communicating about their traineeship to their coordinator and fellow students in other companies. This saves the students time in writing up a report (they can use the logs) and lecturers can reply to the queries at their convenience.
A second group of reasons is that computers can help change the students' attitude towards vocational training.
Instead of being passive the student has the possibility to 'learn to learn', to amass new information fairly easily and to sort through this information in order to make decisions. Hypertext pages can illustrate the various links and connections between information types. Computers in the classroom can also be used to simulate professions, and to illustrate by means of virtual reality the pitfalls in a certain job. As a result, students can make better informed decisions regarding their future career and be better prepared for the common problems in the particular profession. Students can also be taught to acquire knowledge and skills in teams, learning to interact with other experts and integrating one another's efforts towards the common goal.
These arguments are closely linked to the third reason, which is the use of computers to improve education and training. Part-time students can learn through internet about particular skills, and test their knowledge when and where they like.
What experiences have been gathered so far in the Netherlands?
Best know are the lectures offered by Dr. Collis (collis@edte.utwente.nl) at the University of Twente (http://www.to.twente.nl/ism/online96/compus.htm). She offers a weekly schedule of a) hypertext pages on her material together with links for further reading, b) self-tests to assess the level of comprehension of the material, and c) separate exercises and exams. Her students are situated all over Europe, from where they send their comments and test reports to Twente. The students work in small teams, and seem to enjoy the set-up. They read the material rapidly (which can be checked via their log-ins) and quickly grasp the overall structure of the material taught. The literature is up-to-date, and students participate in offering more and detailed comments. Dr Collis plans to add additional pages on which general comments will be placed regarding each 'class' based on her experiences this year.
Also in Antwerp, student passwords are used to keep track of how far students have progressed through the material on the HomePage (http://www.win.tue.nl/debra/). Other Business Colleges in the Netherlands have students make HomePages for their institute, thus providing them with training in HomePage design, data collection, teamwork and cooperation. The result is a freely accessible HomePage with up-to-date information on the schools organisation, regulations, events and staff (e.g. http://www.fcj.hvu.nl/svc).
Earlier this year, 150 secondary schools in Europe have begun a project called 'Web for Schools' (http://www.dinf.vub.ac.be/wfs/) in which schools received PCs and Internet accounts as well as project maps and literature, and this should prove a useful breeding ground for network links between vocational training colleges in the Netherlands.
What are the conditions for successful use of the computers?
Often forgotten is that management should also support the use of computers. They can assist in finding funds for PCs, Internet providers and software, as well as make time available for teachers to familiarise themselves with the medium. The Dutch education ministry has a homepage on which they offer various suggestions for setting up computer-aided classrooms, called 'OCenW-plein', 'CFi-loket' and 'BVEnet' (http://www/dds.nl/~bve/plantsoen/bve2000). In addition, the curriculum needs to be adjusted: using computers for merely a hour is insufficient, and classrooms are often cramped.
In addition, lecturers should be trained in the possibilities offered by the computer. The digital classroom appears to be the future, but many lectures are still reluctant, believing it is a going fad only. True, once the novelty wears off, the students interest in computers fades somewhat. Unless a number of pedagogical conditions are taken into account. Foremost is that lecturers must integrate computer-usage in their lectures, for instance by making material preparation an essential precondition for class lectures or group discussion. Checking the log-ins of students then can be an easy way of checking who has prepared their material and who has not. Lecturers in addition need to change their approach: rather than seeing themselves as source of all knowledge they must alter their tack by becoming student coaches. In view of the growing amount of information these days such seems inevitable.
A last point I wish to make is the fact that there is a need for software. There are currently not many curses available at vocational training level, despite the many ideas. Lectures do not often get time off to work innovatively on computer-aided courses, and publishers are reluctant to accept offers, presumably in view of the copyrights issue on Internet. Similarly, business should make more information available, offering their premises for recording simulations and passing on their experiences to a central body that can evaluate traineeships.
Tom Ammerlaan (HEAO Info, June 1996)
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