The Pedagogical Challenges Facing French Business Schools in the Implementation of E-Learning Initiatives
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International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 2006, Volume 18, Number 2, 89-96 http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/ ISSN 1812-9129 The Pedagogical Challenges Facing French Business Schools in the Implementation of E-learning Initiatives Peter Daly EDHEC Business School, Lille-Nice This paper will reflect on the pedagogical challenges facing French Business Schools in the implementation of e-learning initiatives. I will show that the top French Business Schools are not the main providers of e-learning in business education, as the task is mainly assigned to private companies or government-subsidized organizations. Some fragmented e-learning initiatives do exist but the usefulness of this technology to enhance the learning and teaching experience is often overlooked in a drive to provide e-learning at all costs. I will argue that e- learning development should be grounded in a comprehensive pedagogical framework. The various challenges facing educators will be analyzed, such as their epistemological beliefs, their roles as teachers, their ability to create a community of inquiry, and their ability to choose pertinent knowledge. In order to put learning on the agenda in French higher education and help the educator understand how students learn, a more detailed understanding of the generational characteristics of student cohorts, their epistemological beliefs and conceptions of learning, as well as their learning styles and preferences is advocated. E-learning in France editors (e.g. Sybase, Lotus, Oracle); publishing houses (Foucher Editions d’Organisation, McGraw For some, e-learning means a fully online course; Hill, Ziff Davis); consultancy firms (Arthur for others, it means the use of a course management Anderson); TV channels (M6, France 5); and start- system. For the purpose of this paper, the European ups (SABA, Centra, Online Formapro), all of whom Union definition of e-learning will be employed: “E- are vying for a slice of the e-learning market. learning means using new multimedia technologies However, many of these providers lack credibility as and the Internet to improve the quality of learning by they are not attached to a reputable business school or facilitating access to facilities and services as well as university. In France, e-learning in business remote exchanges and collaboration” (EC education will not be successful unless the major Publication, 2003, p. 3). While this definition is quite players (Grande Ecoles, i.e. public or private higher broad, it does contain some key concepts such as education institutions that admit students by quality of learning, facilitation, exchange, and competitive examination following a two- to three- collaboration. Therefore, this definition presupposes year preparatory course, and the three or four most that the learner is at the center of the learning event prestigious universities) get involved. facilitated by an educator in an exchange of The second segment, which I call the public e- knowledge that is acquired via collaboration. Ledru learning market segment, is served by four main (2002) set out four dimensions of e-learning: provider organizations as outlined by Baudouin pedagogical and psychological; technological; (2005): economic and legal; and organizational and change management issues. If we apply these four 1. AFPA (Association nationale pour la dimensions to e-learning implementation at French Formation Professionnelle des Adultes Business Schools, we can see that the technological [National Association for the Professional dimension is the only one to have received any Training of Adults]) is the main operator of serious consideration with business schools investing the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour and massively in learning platforms such as Solidarity and aims to guide and train Blackboard®, WebCT, or Crossknowledge. While principally the unemployed with no or few they may purport to be involved in e-learning, a qualifications (www.afpa.fr). closer look at the French e-learning market tells a 2. CNAM (Conservatoire National des Arts et different story. Métiers [National Conservatory of Arts and At the moment, the main provision of e-learning Crafts]) is affiliated to the Ministry of in France is divided between: (a) e-learning in firms, Higher Education and offers training in offering customized content developed internally or economics and management, science and by large companies and then outsourced to private industrial techniques, information and suppliers and (b) e-learning provided by the central communication technologies, as well as government or by regional and local authorities or training in work and societal issues associations receiving government subsidies. (http://www.cnam.fr). In the first sector, termed here as the private e- 3. GRETA (Groupement d'Etablissement du learning market segment, Gil (2003) provides an Second Degré [Group of Secondary School impressive list of the major players such as software Establishments]) provides their public Daly Pedagogical Challenges 90 school facilities and staff in order to offer gap-year. This is considered to be a way to further vocational training to both employed reinforce the various social links between and unemployed adults. the different stakeholders within the (http://education.gouv.fr/fp/greta.htm). institution such as professors, students, 4. CNED (Centre National d'Enseignement à alumni, etc. Alumni networks are very Distance [National Center for Distance powerful at French Business Schools and Learning]) is part of the Ministry of many business schools believe that alumni Education and provides distance education are an education market niche of the future to all educational levels. It is similar to the as their skills and competences become Open University in Britain. Two thirds of outdated. the users are adults, and the CNED had 4. “To enhance further education programs in 350,000 users in 2002, 30,000 of whom order to capitalize on the distance learning reside outside France. (http://www.cned.fr). markets for executive managers, who are mobile, demanding, and not very free to These organizations deal mainly with adult education access education” (p. 92). This is a major and further training to individuals wanting to get back market that French Business Schools intend into the workforce or those already in gainful to capitalize on over the next few years, as employment wishing to upgrade their skills. the benefits of such executive education for Business Schools, the elite in French business the business schools are enormous: short- education provision, seem to be absent from the e- term benefits such as revenue for the learning market with only some sporadic and provision of executive education courses and fragmented e-learning initiatives. Boudon (2004) teaching experience for business school claims that the French Business Schools are “afraid to faculty as well as long-term benefits to sell their souls on the net” as they do not want to include partnerships with key industries to make their elite content available as this would provide work-shadowing and career jeopardize their exclusivity and the added value of a opportunities for their graduates as well as business school qualification. He adds that by increased credibility and notoriety in key making this content public, business schools would business sectors both nationally and inevitably pauperize their brand. Gil (2003) puts the internationally. resistance to adopting more Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education Unfortunately, for the most part, professors tend to down to the disappointing results of Computer- put their lecture notes online in the form of Assisted Learning (CAL) in the 1970s and 1980s. PowerPoint presentations, a practice which could However, business schools are beginning to consolidate the view that good teaching is the realize that e-learning is something that is expected of transmission of information (Biggs 2003, p. 218) and them as well as being a very lucrative endeavor, and as a result fosters even more surface learning. In as a result, all the major business schools cite e- reality, very little contact is maintained with the learning as an integral part of their educational students on their gap-year or year abroad, and the strategies. Lewandowski, (2003) has set out some of interaction between students and teachers is usually the main objectives of e-learning in French business carried out via e-mail. As regards executive education: education, in a French context there is a strong argument for maintaining some face-to-face teaching 1. To complement traditional education by as the majority of executives are conditioned by their employing a learning platform such as previous educational experience to be passive Blackboard® or WebCT, which facilitates recipients of knowledge. self-evaluation, discussion forums, email access, and online tutoring E-learning Initiatives at French Business Schools 2. “To immerse the students in a technological environment with the aim of preparing the Different e-learning initiatives can be observed at student to adapt to the workplace of the French Business Schools. Three different types of e- future” (p. 92). Therefore, the benefits to the learning initiatives can be observed: the development students are twofold: they become familiar of virtual campuses; closer collaboration with partner with the electronic tools (the e in e-learning) universities in order to offer European online degrees; by using them intensely and regularly