Students' Views on Learning in Virtual University

This study examines Finnish college students' views on learning in a virtual university. Respondents studied at Helsinki Virtual Open University (HEVI) and the Apaja Internet Service from 1995-99. HEVI is a. Web-based learning environment where students can study, get advice, receive help from tutors, and use office services. Apaja Internet Service provides Web-based courses for university graduates to promote skills relevant to.the labor market. Respondents completed a questionnaire evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of Web-based learning. The questionnaire measured basic components of learner-centered and constructivist ideas in learning. Students assessed how learning was tailored to meet their individual needs and how well they received personalized guidance and feedback. They also assessed the disadvantages of Web-based learning by evaluating difficulties due to technology and expenses. Overall, the application of constructivist approaches to Web-based learning had more advantages than disadvantages. However, different students had unique needs, which must be acknowledged more in planning and implementing Web-based courses and learning environments. Age and educational background were important factors influencing students' views on the advantages and disadvantages of Web-based learning. (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. A paper presented at Innovations in Higher Education conference, Helsinki, Finland, August 2000. Students' views on learning in virtual university Kirsi Tirri and Anne Nevgi Department of Education, University of Helsinki Objectives of the study This paper discusses students' views on learning in virtual university. The students in the study (N=412) represent those who have studied in Helsinki Virtual Open University (HEVI) and Apaja Internet Service during the years 1995-1999. HEVI is a Web-based learning environment, where students can study, get advice, receive help from tutors and use office services. HEVI is a project, which is implemented in cooperation with different departments of the University of Helsinki and its Open University. The HEVI-project is supported by the Ministry of Education and it will continue until the year 2000. Apaja Internet Service provides Web-based courses for university graduates to promote skills relevant to labor market. The purpose of the study is to investigate how students studying in these two services have experienced learning in the Web-based learning environment. The students were asked to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of Web-based learning by a questionnaire. The questionnaire measured basic components of learner-centered and constructivist ideas in learning (Bonk & Cunningham 1998, 25-50, Jonassen 1995). Students assessed how learning was tailored to meet their individual needs and how well they received personalized guidance and feedback. Furthermore, they assessed the disadvantages of Web-based learning by evaluating the difficulties due to technology and expenses of studies. Theoretical framework The theoretical framework for the study is built on constructivism, which is seen as a philosophy of learning based on the idea that knowledge is constructed by learners (Kirschner 1999). Consistent with this philosophy, learning must be situated in a rich context and it needs to be reflective of real world contexts. The main ideas of constructivism and the principles of learner-centered instruction provide the theoretical perspectives on Web-based learning (Bonk & Cunningham 1998, 25-50). The growing number of students who wish to participate in higher education challenges universities to develop distributed learning environments (Dede 1996, 1997). A distributed learning environment is an approach to education and training that is intended to be learner-centered, enabling both synchronous and asynchronous interaction through the integration of pedagogically-appropriate technologies. The approach gives instructors the flexibility to customize learning environments to meet the needs of diverse student populations, while aiming to provide both high quality and cost-effective learning opportunities. Learning environments promote the use of the Internet (WWW) to help students find, evaluate and process information, solve problems, communicate ideas, work collaboratively, and learn how to learn (Kirschner 1999).