Experiential learning on-line: The role of asynchronous communication tools

The needs of learners are changing rapidly and continually in response to an environment that is characterised by change at economic, political and technological levels. There is greater pressure on universities to work more closely with employers in contributing to the process of economic development through the creation of a skilled workforce. Universities are becoming increasingly flexible in their responses to meeting the lifelong learning agenda. Online experiential learning is an essential element in the move towards more situated and professional orientations and with the drive to providing students with real world working knowledge. Asynchronous communication tools and tasks are ideal conduits for the refinement of professional skills. This case study profiles an on-line approach to developing professional project management skills for multimedia developers and presents snapshot views of an online learning environment in which students developing real projects for industry clients. Theoretical Framework: Experiential Learning Through the design of an asychronous online learning space, learners to were introduced to situations and ways of working with others that were experientially based. The processes of learning were emphasised from the outset and students were encouraged to have ownership of the learning, assessment and reflection processes. For Kolb (1984), the actual experiences people go through become the starting points for learning, and this underlying educational approach was reflected in the design of the online environment. Emotion and reflection are also an integral part of the cycle of learning, and reflective processes are intrinsic to learning from experience. In an experiential learning cycle, the learner passes though each of four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. Our design ensured that we linked the experiential learning cycle to the online environment and the collaborative tools afforded by the technology as follows: • Active experimentation: Students engaged in the discussion and resolution of problems through online discussion using multimedia tools to support the display of responses (eg., Cox, 1994). • Task engagement: Peers analysed the output of the task, and compared problem-solving approaches through discussion, email and conferencing activity (Bonk & Cummings, 1998). • Reflection: Individuals analysed and reflected on the learning tasks, group processes and self-development as they tested new ideas and perspectives in virtual learning groups (English & Yazdani, 1999). • Formation of abstract concepts: Utilising peer and tutor feedback, students developed understandings of key course concepts through engagement with new ideas supported via communications networks (Collis, 1998). Experiential learning was reinforced in various ways through the course pedagogy, which focussed on both process and content aspects of learning. Students participated in decision-making processes by choosing and defining a topic for their project, creating and managing their own development team and negotiating peer assessment. The design was based on pedagogical and curriculum philosophies that acknowledge group work, peer feedback and support as essential to the development of independent learners and practitioners (Candy, 1994; Schrum, 2000). Reciprocity in giving and receiving peer feedback provides learners with opportunities to deepen their interpersonal skills. Through these processes they also developed reflective skills, and learnt to monitor their own learning and appreciate the contribution of others to their learning (Biggs, 1999). Thus, by focussing on learning process and peer supported activities, the learning activities took on a broader perspective, to include the totality of the learning experience while consolidating those aspects of professional learning that would enable the learners to develop transferable skills. This process is illustrated in Figure 1, which shows a focus on using learner-centered strategies that encourage learner independence and peer support, which in turn promotes the development of professional skills and process knowledge. These then directly contribute to deep and meaningful learning experiences, and as part of the authentic learning experience, students were able to share their knowledge and experiences with their peers through the Listserv. Figure 1: Student Learning Process Context of the study: Course description At Edith Cowan University, final year multimedia students are required to complete IMM3330/4330 “Industry Project Development”. The aim of the unit is to consolidate core multimedia skills learnt in other units, while at the same making industry contacts and developing a portfolio item to assist with job applications. Students are provided with industry projects made available through the Faculty, or they can negotiate a project of their own, as long as it fulfils the course requirements, team-based, commercial in nature and not trivial. As part of the unit requirements, students are required to perform a needs analysis, provide a design specification, develop the web site, evaluate it, implement it and produce the required documentation (legal, procedures, metrics, templates and standards). The course objectives were closely linked to the professional competencies required for multimedia development in the industry and integrated authentic assessment tasks where learners could develop multimedia products in a team environment, thus replicating the skills required of them in the workplace. The unit runs over a fifteen-week semester, with three hours allocated per week for tutorials and lectures. There are no formal face-to-face classes, the unit is largely run online from a Listserv, which provides a rich arena for advice, comments and feedback as there is about one hundred participants subscribed on the List, including industry representatives and ex-students. The constructivist approach used in structuring the project work and the Listserv activities was that students should benefit from the experiences of other students, industry representatives and academic tutors in an environment that promotes the exchange of ideas. A salient feature of the assessment tasks was the focus on learning processes, rather than mastery of content as this matched the orientation of the course towards skills development. The assessment tasks and associated learning processes are presented in Table 1.