106 access to study regardless of location is clearly of value to stu- dents who are committed to their current place of residence. The flexibility of access facilitates study in conjunction with employ- ment or other commitments (Cole 2000). Course literature can be updated and distributed very efficiently by tutors (Rosenberg 2001). This not only helps to facilitate the delivery of contempo- rary and relevant academic courses, but also helps organizations deliver continuous professional development to their employees or members. Sitzmann et al. (2006) indicate that web-based in- struction can be at least as effective as classroom instruction. Some authors actually indicate that the quality of online learn- ing will exceed that of classroom-based teaching in the future (Kim and Bonk 2006). The development of an e-learning port- folio at an academic institution ensures a competitive advantage, removes geographical limitations on student intake, and acts to raise the reputation of the institution on an international scale. Additional potential benefits of e-learning can include improved performance from higher education students in contrast to those in face-to-face courses; higher standards of teaching, as teachers of the highest caliber can share their knowledge across borders to everyone who is interested and at minimum cost; and the ability to improve students’ essential skills in the use of information and communications technologies by embedding the use of this with- in the curriculum (Anderson and Elloumi 2004). Further discus- sion on the value of e-learning can be found in established texts such as Jarvis (2004), McPhenson and Nunes (2004), Beetham and Sharp (2007), and Rudestam and Schoenholtz-Read (2010). THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRADUATE E-LEARNING IN ARBORICULTURE Myerscough College’s degree courses are validated by the University of Central Lancashire, which is based in the nearby city of Preston. In order to offer an online degree course in ar- boriculture, Myerscough had to provide sufficient evidence to convince the University of Central Lancashire that there was a demand for this. To this end, an “expression of inter- est” form was placed on the college website. Anyone who thought they might consider studying online for such a degree at some point in the future was asked to complete this form. Within six months, 153 people had completed the form, a re- sponse viewed by curriculum managers as very encouraging. Further evidence to support the need for the course was provided by the college’s Technical Advisory Board for ar- boricultural courses. The Technical Advisory Board includes representatives from relevant professional bodies, trade asso- ciations, and major industry employers. There was overwhelm- ing support from the members of the Board for the proposal to develop an online degree in arboriculture. With evidence of the need for the course from both the expression of inter- est form on the college website and from the Technical Advi- sory Board, the development of such a course was included in the college’s main Strategic Plan 2005–2010 (Myerscough Col- lege 2005) as well as the college’s E-Learning and ILT Strate- gies (Myerscough College 2006a; Myerscough College 2006b). To support the academic staff in the development of online learning resources, Myerscough College established the Learn- ing Development Unit to provide additional technical expertise. Academic staff, supported by the Learning Development Unit, then began the significant task of transferring existing lecture ©2012 International Society of Arboriculture Johnston and Hirons: Going Online with Arboricultural Education notes and materials into a format that could be delivered through a virtual learning environment. This work initially focused on the online Foundation Degree in Arboriculture (FdSc) (which had replaced the previous Higher National Diploma) and was a three- year part-time course. This was first offered in 2003, and the posi- tive response to this educational opportunity translated into a sub- stantial number of applicants. It was apparent that the recruitment needs of the industry were evolving and local authorities and consultancy companies were increasingly requiring degree-level personnel to make management decisions on trees. However, the college decided to limit the number of students on this course to approximately 20 each year while it was in its formative stages. While it was clear from the Technical Advisory Board meetings and other industry liaison activities that there were significant opportunities in delivering online learning in ar- boriculture. There were also major challenges that needed to be met. These challenges included: staff training, to famil- iarize them with the virtual learning environment; design- ing sessions to achieve learning outcomes that would nor- mally be instructed face-to-face and with campus resources; communicating with online learners; and student perspective (self-discipline, isolation, asynchronous feedback to questions, lack of learner community, and lack of diversity in sessions). CHALLENGES TO ONLINE DELIVERY Two criteria, achievement and success, are used to evaluate the over- all performance of academic courses. Achievement reflects the per- centage of students who were enrolled for the duration of the course and passed the qualification. Success considers the percentage of students who passed the qualification as a function of the number of students enrolled in the first year. Therefore, any disparity between achievement and success is related to student retention on the course. Success rates were suppressed in the 2005–2006 and 2006– 2007 academic years as a result of poor student retention (Table 1; Figure 1). This presented a significant challenge to the FdSc course and it was critical that such low levels of retention and, therefore, success did not persist. Analysis of student feedback, internal quality assurance processes, and other empirical evidence gave the academic team a number of specific areas to focus on. Figure 1. Raising achievement and success in online, higher edu- cation arboriculture courses.
May 2012
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