DOCUMENT RESUME ED 327 163 IR 014 788 AUTHOR Mason, Robin TITLE The Use of Computer Networks for Education and Training. Report to the Trainii Agency. INSTITUTION Open Univ., Walton, Bletchley, Bucks (England). Inst. of Educational Technology. PUB DATE 89 NOTE 206p. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Community Education; *Computer Networks; Distance Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Ccuntries; Job Training; Military Training; Open Universities; Postsecondary Education; *Teleconferencing; Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS Europe (West); United States ABSTRACT The objective of this study has been to prepare a report which identifies the major issues concerning the use of computer networks, and particularly computer conferencing, in eaucation and training. The report is divided into four sections: (1) a discussion of the major themes and issues as they apply in education, training, and community networking, including reasons for using teleconferencing, provision of hardware and software, costs and funding, organizational impact, introducing networking, and obstacles to use;(2) case studies that describe the issues in contexts such as vocational education and training in Denmark, training for the United States Armed Forces, networking in primary and secondary schools, networking in the corporate sector and the community, teachers and computer networking, technology based training, and computer confelencing in university education;(3) a complete listing of all European applications including projectc in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, and Spain with references for obtaining further details; and (4) appendices consisting of a glossary of technical terms, an overview of technological choices for learning networks, a report on computer networking in France, descriptions of nine currently used computer conferencing systems, and a 29-item bibliography. A report on the Training Agency Workshops is included as an addendum. (DB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions.suppliedy EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************* U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement THE USEOF EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document has been reproduced as recea.ed Porn the PerSOn or onzanization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improveCOMPUTER NETWORKS reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this dOCu- ment clo not necessarily rePresent official OE RI positron or policy FOR EDUCATIONANDTRAINING REPORT TO eft THE TRAINING AGENCY 1989 .C9 Robin Mason Institute of Educational Technology The Open University "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY E.S. Henderson TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 2 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." This report was funded by the Training Agency, carried out by Robin Mason and directed by Dr. Nick Heap, both at the Open University, on behalf of SATURN. The team is grateful to the many people who contributed information and assistance. II CONTENTS Overview iv Part One: Issues in Networking 1 Part Two: Case Studies 29 Part Three: European Applications 70 Part Four: Appendices Glossary of Terms 87 Technical Overview 103 Networking in France 120 Conferencing Systems 159 Bibliography 180 4) OVERVIEW OF THE REPORT The objective of this study has been to prepare a report which identifies the major issues concerning the use of computer networks in education and training.At the most basic level this has involved the investigation and compilation of activities and applications using this technology, primarily in the UK, although secondarily in Europe and North America.It has also involved discussions with a wide variety of experts in this area, and the analysis of most of the current literature in the field. The focus of this study has been successively refined over the past 12 months to concentrate on one of the three main uses of computel networking: computer conferencing. The other two, online databases and remote-host computer based training, are discussed primarily in relation to the first) The applications of computer conferencing have been most closely investigated, 0 and the products associated with it have received the most attention. For the purposes of this study, the terms 'education and training' have been interpreted in a very broad way to include specific training for a specific task, the education sector from primary to tertiary levels, and general access to information both by particular working groups and by members of the public. A considerable amount of data and information has been gathered in the course of this study.In order to present this coherently to the reader, the report has been divided into a number of different sections: Part Onea discussion of the major themes and issues as they apply in education, training and community networking. Part Two - case studies which describe these issues in a particular context. Part Threea complete listing of all European applications identified during the study with references for obtaining further details. Part Four - appendices consisting of a glossary of terms, a technological overview, a report on computer networking in France, a summary of current computer conferencing software and finally, a bibliography. 1 For an explanation of these and other technical terms,see the Glossary of Terms in Appendix One. PART ONE: ISSUES IN NETWORKING 1 Reasons for Use 1.1 Reasons for Use in Education 2 1.2 Reasons for Use in Training 4 1.3 Reasons for use in the Community 5 2 Provision of Hardware 2.1 Provision of Hardware in Education 6 2.2 Provision of Hardware in Training 7 2.3 Provision of Hardware in the Community 8 3 Costs and Funding 3.1 Costs and Funding in Education 9 3.2 Costs and Funding in Training 10 3.3 Costs and Funding in the Community 12 4 Organisational Impact 4.1 Organisational Impact in Education 13 4.2 Organisational Impact in Training 15 4.3 Organisational Impact on Communities 16 5 Software Considerations 5.1 Software Considerations in Education 17 5.2 Sof 'mare Considerations in Training 18 5.3 Software Considerations in Community Net working... 19 6 Introducing Networking 6.1 Introducing Networking in Education 21 6.2 Introducing Networking in Training 22 6.3 Introducing Networking in the Community 23 7 Obstacles to Use 7.1 Obstacles to Use in Education 24 7.2 Obstacles to Use in Training 26 7.3 Obstacles to Use in the Community 27 Summary of Elements of Good Practice 27 (3 Issues in Networking INTRODUCTION As a means of categorising the range and variety of applications of computer networks, and synthesising the complex issues involved in their use, the field has been grouped into three areas of concentration: use in education, in training, and in community services.These areas are not intended to be mutually exclusive, but merely to be demarcations for drawing out complex perspectives and controlling influences.The seven major issues to be discussed will each be elaborated from these three points of view.These major issues are: reasons for use, provision of hardware, networking costs and forms of funding, organisational impact, software considerations, introduction to conferencing, and finally obstacles to use. A concluding section to this part will draw out the elements of good practice derived from the discussion. 1 REASONS FOR USE 1.1 REASONS FOR USE IN EDUCATION Although the idea that education should be interactive has a long-standing pedigree, its re-emergence in the last few years has dominated educational debate. At the same time various forces- economic, social and technological, have combined to induce a tremendous expsnsion in the area of distance education. Falling enrollments at campus based universities, the decline in school aged population and the increased necessity for 'life-long learning', the rising cost of full-time education, and the growth of interest in self-paced study and learner-centred approaches, have all had the effect of interesting 'place-based' institutions in the methods and technologies of distance education. At the primary and secondary levels of education, there is some recognition of the need to move from paro,thialism to national and international awareness, and the concept of the 'global village'. As the vision of 'classrooms without walls' is realized, the question of what we are educating children for, and how we are to form a consensus on this crucial issue, takes on a new urgency. Assuming even moderate success in initiating new activities, networking educators eventually are sure to be the focus of intense public scrutiny. (Dowdy, 1987) The information technologies which rely on computer networks can be divided into two groups: those involving selective interactivity and those involving full interactivity.The databases and data banks of the first category, are constantly being enlarged and updated, so that course designers must re-think the role of print and fixed curricula in favour If individual, "7 2 Issues in Networking personalised, self-selected course content.The selective interactivity of computer aided learning (CAL) and technology based training (TBT) offers the advantage of self-pacing and individualised learning, even though the interaction is with a machine, or more accurately with the programmer of it. The second group of technologies consists of all forms of computer-mediated