Advice to Graduating Students: Balancing Hard and Soft Skills

https://www.dailynews.lk/2021/09/07/features/258589/graduating-students-balancing-hard-and-soft-skills

Background 

 Graduating from a university or any higher educational institution marks a very important milestone in one’s life. It is a very significant event not only for the graduate but also for the family members and well-wishers who supported the student during the studies, morally, financially and otherwise. Studying for a degree is an endeavor involving heavy investment of time and money, great sacrifices and many opportunities gained and lost. With such a great investment of time and money, and sacrifices, one is expected to be successful in the years after graduation by getting a rewarding employment or starting an own business, and providing mental satisfaction and happiness to him and to all those who supported him. What sort of advice can the seniors with lifetime experiences provide to graduating students so that they could derive appropriate rewards for their years-long strenuous efforts? We often hear, and some of us have actually experienced how the non-availability of timely and appropriate advice has hindered progress of many graduates. Based on experiences of those who have gone through this process (“the mill”) during their careers, many advices can be generated. It is difficult to address all the areas that a graduating student should pay attention to in preparation for the next phase of their career, i.e., employment, in a short article such as this. However, this article intends to cover a few important aspects relating to the skills that a graduate should possess and sharpen to lead a successful professional career. Required Skills It is recognized that for a graduate to secure a job and keep it, certain skills need to be acquired and maintained. These skills are known as Hard Skills and Soft Skills. It is also established that a good balance of the two types of skills is a prerequisite for a successful career. The actual balance between the two types of skills necessary to be successful could depend on the type of business you are in, the level of the corporate ladder that you are placed at, etc. What are the hard skills and soft skills? Hard Skills These are the core skills that graduates primarily gain through their education and training at their academic institutions. These skills would vary from profession to profession or business to business. They can include skills such as engineering design, accounting strategies, computer programming, clinical diagnosis, criminal investigation, legal analysis, etc. These are the skills required to carry out the core business of an organization and to get the job done. Hard skills are teachable and measurable. In practice however, it is proven that the hard skills alone are not sufficient to run a business successfully or a graduate to be professionally successful. A set of soft skills is also needed. Soft Skills Soft Skills are also known as People Skills or Interpersonal Skills. They are not easily teachable as compared to hard skills. Soft skills are similar to emotions or insights that allow people to ‘read’ others. Most of the soft skills are learned through practice and experience. They are much harder to be measured and evaluated. What are the types of soft skills that graduates need to acquire and maintain? Following is a list of some common soft skills that most of the young graduates need to acquire and practise: • Communication Skills • Flexibility • Dependability • Teamwork • Work Ethics • Positivity • Time Management • Problem Solving • Critical Thinking • Conflict Resolution • Project Planning There are many more soft skills. The above is a representative list of soft skills that are more relevant to day-to-day work. It is important for the fresh graduates to be aware of the importance of these skills and learn them and practise. The graduates will start realizing that their services are better valued by peers and seniors as they begin to complement their hard skills with more and more soft skills. The important point is that most of these skills which one learns and sharpens during their employment can be transferred to any future jobs. The recruiters usually look for and value the transferable skills that a prospective employee could bring into a new job, from their prior experience. Transferrable Skills Transferable skills can be from both hard skills and soft skills. For example, a transferable hard skill could be a mastery of a particular software or a coding language that can be used in various business settings. However, soft skills are more easily transferable due to their generic nature and universal applicability. Some of the most common soft skills that are transferable include: • Leadership • Communication Skills • Teamwork • Time Management • Problem Solving Balancing Hard Skills and Soft Skills While appreciating the importance of both hard skills and soft skills, graduates need to strike a balance between the two types. Further, they need to be aware that what weightage the recruiters or managers assign to these two types of skills, respectively. The preference may be skewed towards hard skills at the beginning of one’s career and may gradually shift to soft skills as one moves higher in the corporate ladder. Various surveys conducted in the USA and elsewhere indicate that recruiters tend to give equal or more weightage to soft skills than to hard skills. Graduates need to be aware of this and give necessary priority to acquiring and maintaining soft skills in addition to the hard skills they learned during their higher studies. It is generally believed that hard skills help you get a job and soft skills help you to keep it and progress. Skills Gap Due to rapid technological changes taking place around us and also due to somewhat outdated curricula followed by some academic institutions, there exists a Skills Gap. The Skills Gap is the divide between the skills employers expect employees to have and the skills employees and job seekers actually possess. Advice to graduating students Graduating students need to be aware of the importance of hard skills and soft skills needed to be successful in getting a job and maintaining it. Due prominence and emphasis to the skills possessed need to be given in their resumes when applying for jobs and attending job interviews. Both hard skills and soft skills need to be developed, kept up-to-date and sharpened all the time. The balance between the two types needs to be maintained depending on the job environment. Also, it is important to keep an eye on the Skills Gap and try to bridge this gap by one’s own additional efforts. The following quote puts the discussion in context: “There’s not one specific thing or skill people have to have to work for us. But I can tell you why we fire people: soft skills. We hire for hard skills. We fire for soft skills. …” Rick Stephens, Senior Vice President of HR, The Boeing Corporation Author: Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, Chartered Professional Engineer, Honorary Fellow Member of IESL, former Director, Academic Affairs at Saegis Campus and Senior Lecturer at OUSL, holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury, NZ. email: gamini_pad@hotmail.com

Online Education: How we can get the next phase right

 

 Background

Online Learning has become a household term and is becoming a way of life. Schoolchildren including those from some primary classes and more mature students from state and non-state higher educational institutions, along with their teachers and lecturers have started experiencing online teaching and learning hands on during the last several months. Although online teaching and learning existed in a very limited scale prior to the onset of Covid-19, a rapid transition to online teaching and learning occurred following the closure of educational institutions in connection with the spread of the virus. The way and the speed with which the state and non-state educational institutions adapted to the change and faced the challenges of shifting to online learning are commendable. State and non-state higher educational institutions and schools, private tuition providers and other academic and professional bodies have implemented online teaching and learning to varying degrees of success during the past period. The general satisfaction level among the students and teachers about the new mode of learning seems to be somewhat satisfactory subject to certain shortcomings such as internet connection issues, costs associated therewith, lack of suitable devices to practise online learning, suitability of learning material, etc.

 

Definitions and context

Online learning can be defined as education that takes place over the Internet. It is often referred to as “e- learning” among other terms. However, online learning is just one type of “distance learning” - the umbrella term for any learning that takes place across distance and not in a traditional classroom. On the other hand, distance learning is described as any format of education provided to students who do not need to be physically present at an institution; previously materials were sent to students but now materials are provided via computer conferencing, video, Internet, and other electronic means.

Online learning can be used in both distance learning and in blended learning, which uses a mix of online learning and traditional face-to-face learning approaches. This however, makes it necessary for the online learning material to be prepared with appropriate design features to ensure self-study, student engagement, provision of feedback, opportunity for self-assessment, etc. It is not appropriate to use teaching material prepared for face-to-face settings in online teaching without modifications as the two teaching and learning contexts are quite different.

 

Current Situation

The common approaches to online teaching have been to use free videoconferencing software such as Zoom to organize online lecture sessions where the teacher or lecturer explains the subject matter using PowerPoint slides or directly working on whiteboards. Lecture notes are sent to students electronically in advance with the expectation that students read same and come prepared for the Zoom session on a specified date.  During the Zoom sessions, the teacher explains material, solves selected problems, questions students, answers student queries, etc. In some sessions, video and audio clips are played with or without teacher intervention, and/or sent them for use by students at their own time.

In many higher educational institutions, Learning Management Systems (LMS) are used for routine course administration purposes including sharing and uploading assignments, receiving answer scripts, project submissions, conducting surveys, checking attendance, setting discussion forums and chats, etc.

Notes, hand-outs, etc. prepared for face-to-face teaching may not be attractive to all the online learners. There are different types of learners in any given student cohort. Four primary types of learners are identified; Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing preference and Kinaesthetic. Appropriately designed online lessons shall meet most of these learner types. If one particular learning material cannot meet all types learner styles, there shall be other complementary material which can meet the unmet learner styles. Ideally, there shall be different learning material which caters for different types of learners. At least, two or more alternative media components should be provided to the students so that they could choose the best medium that suit them, e.g. visual, audio, text or practical or experiment-based, etc. Attention also needs to be given to learners who have visual, auditory and other impairments.

The above emphasises the importance of appropriate design of instructions to suit online learning. In order to achieve desired learning objectives the lessons need to be designed using appropriate instructional design strategies and models.

While the access to many institutional web servers has been made free by many educational institutions in collaboration with telecom providers, the poor internet connections experienced by students from rural areas, costs associated with internet access to other websites, heavy dependence on mobile phones (with attendant limitations such as small screen sizes, difficulty in reading and typing long texts, etc.) for online learning due to non-availability of better devices such as tabs or laptops, have not helped to make the online learning a pleasant experience to a significant portion of learners.

 

What comes next?

Now that the first phase of online learning has passed, what comes next? Following are a few specific actions that universities and other educational institutions could take in the next few months to help improve student learning, engagement, and experience while operating remotely:

These moves may inspire institutions to pilot new initiatives, learn what works, iterate, and position themselves to create capabilities that will enhance instruction permanently. However, the educational institutions may not be able to handle all of them on their own. Due organizational, professional and financial support need to be provided by the government, public and private sector corporations, non-governmental organizations, professional institutions, philanthropists, specialists, consultants, etc.

Focus on access and equity: Moving from on-campus to remote learning raises issues related to access and equity. There are the immediate logistical challenges of ensuring students have the basic technology they need to learn remotely. Some possible actions include: offer stipends for internet access and laptop rentals or purchases. Provision of loaned equipment and hot spots for internet access to under-resourced students.

Consideration also needs to be given to effects on mental health and stress created by the epidemic, and also to mitigate the additional difficulties encountered by physically impaired learners due to shifting to online education, e.g. provision of recorded lessons with captions, etc.

Support faculty: Most academics are working hard to respond creatively to teach their students to the same standards, even as their own lives are disrupted. What methods work best in a remote environment will differ by discipline and the technology available. There are a few broad ways that institutions can help.

Offer more teaching support. Many institutions have centres that offer support to faculty in their teaching; these should be scaled up as much as possible and shift their orientation to proactively support the academics in educational technology and preparation of necessary media components and lesson material.

 

Use social media and online forums so that faculty can share best practices. Collaboration forums can get early momentum when “seeded” with ideas from influential academics. Highlighting and explaining successful remote-teaching practices during faculty meetings can cultivate a sense of camaraderie, as well as a culture of sharing and improving.

 

Set up a structure for the faculty to get regular feedback on their teaching. Two sources for this are: short student surveys and engagement data derived from the institution’s learning-management system. Student surveys need to be short and specific, with pertinent questions, such as how well professors explain the concepts or cultivate a sense of connection. These surveys should be used not to judge professors, but to give them information on how students are responding and where they can improve. Survey results can also give administrators a sense of where they might need to intervene to support student learning.

 

Create online student centres.  As institutions move to remote learning, they can think about how to use existing tools to move in-person gatherings online and open up spaces for discussions, events, wellness classes, and other interests. The idea is to offer virtual spaces in lieu of physical ones to enable the university community to continue to connect. These centres also could be used to organise study groups and online tutoring.

 

Activate stakeholders.  One way to start is by identifying and activating tech-savvy students and staff to coach faculty and other students to use online tools. Another possibility is to ask alumni and community members to provide remote mentorship and coaching to support students with remote learning, career discussions, and virtual internships. In addition to professional support, financial and logistical support also can be sought.

 

Invest in cybersecurity to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning. The rushed efforts to move learning online have increased the risks of cyberthreats. Universities can prevent such problems by ensuring their cybersecurity teams are up to the task, closing the gaps that attackers can exploit, and making investments required to ensure security and data privacy while enabling teaching and learning to go on.

 

Summary            

Often with limited experience and training, our educational institutions have hurriedly shifted to online learning and teaching. Many have done so in an exemplary manner; others have not been as successful, at least so far. This forced and abrupt move to remote learning has not been easy. However, it can provide institutions with an opportunity to experiment and innovate. Universities may find that they have a new remote-learning capability that can be integrated with on-campus instruction, to everyone’s benefit, when this crisis has passed. This added capability goes hand in hand with the government’s commitment to enhance the intakes and provide access to university education to all those who qualify.

 

Author:

 

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, a  Fellow Member of IESL and a former Senior Lecturer at OUSL, holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury, NZ. His PhD thesis was on Instructional Design for Computer-Based Learning. email: gamini_pad@hotmail.com

Robotics: Background, Influence on Everyday Life and Future

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http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2020/07/29/robotics-background-influence-on-everyday-life-and-future/


The term Robotics is often mentioned these days. There were many local inventions that were presented in mass media recently highlighting the possible use of Robotics in health care industry to meet the challenges faced under the COVID -19. The local innovators need to be congratulated and supported to ensure their prototypes are developed and converted in to fully commercially viable ventures.

Unimate-the grandfather of industrial robots

Background

The word “Robot” in Czech language, meaning forced labour, has served as the root for the word Robotics. Per ISO 8373:2012, industrial robot is defined as an automatically controlled reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator, programmable in three or more axes, which can be either fixed or mobile for use in industrial automation applications.

Robotics is known as an interdisciplinary field at the interface of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of Robotics is to design intelligent machines that can help and assist humans in their day-to-day lives and keep everyone safe. Robotics draws on the achievements of information and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering and others.

There is evidence to show that mechanised human-like figures date back to ancient times, to Greece. The concept of an artificial man is found in works of fiction since the early 19th century. Despite these initial thoughts and representations, the dawn of the robotic revolution has begun in earnest in the 1950s. American inventor, George Devol, created the first digitally operated and programmable robot, named Unimate in 1954. This ultimately laid the foundation of the modern Robotics industry. Many significant and gigantic developments in the timeline of Robotics happened thereafter, which led to the modern commercial and industrial robots.

As an academic discipline

As an academic discipline, robotics is a relatively young field with highly ambitious goals, the ultimate one being the creation of machines that can behave and think like humans. This attempt to create intelligent machines naturally leads us first to examine ourselves – to ask, for example, why our bodies are designed the way they are, how our limbs are coordinated, and how we learn and perform complex tasks.

Usefulness

Modern commercial and industrial robots are widely used performing jobs more cheaply or with greater accuracy and reliability than humans. Robots are used for jobs which are too dirty, dangerous or dull to be suitable for humans. Robots are widely used in manufacturing industry, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry and laboratory research.

One key feature of robots is the ability to learn from a human and play back. A skill of a well-trained painter, for example, can be transferred to a robot. This can be done by ‘teaching’ the robot through conducting a painting job by the skilled worker while holding the arm of the robot. The robot will learn all the movements, paths and forces applied by the human in doing the job and remember. Robot can repeat the painting work the same way as the skilled worker when instructed. Of course, some fine tuning need to be made before a perfect result can be achieved.

Applications in Everyday Life

Following are some examples of the use of Robotics in everyday life, further to their widespread use in different Industries:

• Automated Transportation (Self-driving Robot)
The day is not that far when human drivers won’t be needed for driving vehicles. As a result, the accidents happening today due to human errors may be reduced.

• Security, Defense, and Surveillance
Robot monitors homes when people are away from their homes. These Robots help people to monitor the skies, ground, and water from a remote location.

• Medicine

Robots are capable of doing things which need precise and accurate performance. For drug delivery system (targeted drug delivery), robots can locally concentrate therapeutic payload (dosage of medicine) around pathological sites (where actually treatment is needed) so that they can reduce the dose of administrative drugs and side effects caused by them.

In the case of robotically-assisted minimally-invasive surgery, instead of directly moving the instruments, the surgeon uses one of two methods to administer the instruments. These include using a direct telemanipulator or through computer control, allowing the possibility for remote surgery.

• Education

Robots can help the students attend their classes remotely. The robot performs as a person in the classroom which is controlled by the person himself. Robot’s cameras are his eyes, and its body is for interacting with other students and teachers. So, the person can see and do everything in the classroom that he wants to do, from a remote location.

There are many other areas in everyday life that Robots can and will be able to assist in the near future, including home maintenance, cooking and acting as friends to humans.

Future of Robotics

As technological developments have done in the past, the next generation of robots, utilising artificial intelligence and automation to streamline processes currently handled with the assistance of human workers, will significantly alter the job market.
Robotic engineers are designing the next generation of robots to look, feel and act more human, to make it easier for us to work with them. Realistic looking hair and skin with embedded sensors will allow robots to react naturally in their environment. For example, a robot that senses your touch on the shoulder and turns to greet you.

Blended Learning: A way to assist learners in rural sectors

The term “Blended learning” is used frequently along with the term “e-Learning”. Is it just another buzz word or an old wine in a new bottle? 

It is relevant to review the present situation in the country with reference to computer literacy and the percentage of households owning computers in different sectors, urban, rural, estate, etc. Computer literacy/Computer ownership as a percentage (Sri Lanka: 30.1/22.2, Urban: 41.5/38.3, Rural: 28.6/19.9, Estate: 13.7/3.8), as per the published statistics.

The above statistics clearly indicate a vast disparity within the sectors in computer literacy and ownership of computers by households. Under such situation, a heavy emphasis on e-learning or technology based education could worsen the present relative social standing of rural and estate sectors. While actions need to be taken to reduce the above disparities in the longer run, it is imperative that less privileged sectors be provided with facilities such as blended learning to mitigate the disparities currently exist.

Blended learning is defined as a combination of multiple approaches to pedagogy or teaching. It is achieved through the combination of virtual and physical resources. Blended learning is a blend between e-Learning and traditional delivery methods such as traditional class rooms, printed learning material, etc. 

Most learners are familiar with how teachers use different delivery methods to achieve learning outcomes, e.g. lectures, discussion groups, drills and practices, role plays, audio/video clips, computer-based tutorials, etc. Therefore, it can be said that blended learning is a new name for an old concept.

Blended learning can cater to a large cross section of learners including rural and estate sectors in achieving their learning goals by accommodating different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning. All students do not learn in just the same way nor do they have same accessibility to technology; therefore, it is important to provide different methods, media and approaches to learn the same content by different students.

With regular Internet, TV, radio, etc., it is possible to deliver educational and training content for the benefit of the learners throughout the country. The content could include material for school and university programmes, improvement of general skills such as English knowledge and computer literacy, vocational skills such as repair and maintenance of automobiles, computers, etc. However, those who are familiar with distance learning are aware of the main hardships the learners face; the lack of tutor support and feedback.

The "theory" part of the learning task can be delivered through the technology mentioned above. How can the tutor support and feedback be provided? The way to proceed may be to use a blended learning approach. It is possible to meet the above learner needs through a combination of online and face-to-face tutor support. Face-to-face tutor support can be provided at venues such as Open University's regional centres, University of Vocational Technology, technical colleges, and other suitable public and private sector educational establishments. This is a feasible approach that would directly benefit the rural sector learners.

The learners would choose the method that suits them best based on preference, accessibility, affordability, etc. Different approaches in delivery are also necessary due to different learning contexts (traditional learning, distance learning, etc.), learner types (auditory learners, visual learners, etc.) and leaning tasks (facts, concepts, etc.). Also, when the technology is not equally accessible to the entire cross-section of learners, blended learning could provide alternatives to choose from.

The factors that influence the blend of methods and technologies used to achieve desired learning objectives include: learning context, type of learners, learning task, availability, accessibility and learner attitudes towards using technology for learning, time availability for learning, language and subject proficiency levels, pace at which learning goals are to be achieved, the pedagogical approaches.

The actual making of the ‘blend’ should be based on proper study and evaluation of the learning situation. Such study is called Instructional Design. A typical instructional design process includes five stages; Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE). The most critical of these stages is the first stage, Analysis. Analysis is the basis for design of instructions and their delivery. The Analysis stage consists of three components; analysis of learning context, the learner, and the learning task. The selection of the type of instruction and the mode of its delivery is based on the findings of the instructional analysis. Analyses of the learning context and the types of learners will provide information on: gaps in knowledge, learner background, preferred styles of learning, performance levels, language proficiency, computer literacy, access and attitude towards technology, time constraints, etc.

These findings have implications on the design and delivery of instructions. For example, if most of the learners are either auditory or visual learners, the design of instruction should include audio and video components. Similarly, if the learners are adults who work full-time or part-time, face-to-face delivery of instruction is not suitable as the primary mode of delivery. In this case the design and delivery of instruction should be made to suit a distance learning environment. Then, the question arises as to what type of distance learning is affordable. Does the learner have access to ICT where instructions can be delivered in the form of offline content or online through the Internet? If the learners have no access to ICT, then the option will be to provide the learners with print material designed for distance learning or media broadcasts. If the analysis shows that a good part of the learners have access to ICT, then the delivery of learning content should be made through both ICT, print material and/or media broadcasts. This is just an example of blending different methods of delivery of instruction to suit different types of learners and learning contexts.

Blended learning methods also become relevant when implementation of different steps in the learning process is considered. The different steps that a learner needs to go through to accomplish a learning task are known as Events of Instruction. There are nine events of instruction: Gaining attention, informing the learner of the objective, stimulating learner’s attention, stimulating recall of prior knowledge, providing learning guidance, eliciting performance, providing feedback, assessing performance, and enhancing retention and transfer. Different approaches or media could be used to achieve each event of instruction. 

The type of learning task too has a bearing on the methods of delivery. Design of events of instruction varies from task to task. Providing learning guidance, eliciting performance, giving feedback, etc. will be dependent on the type of learning task and mode of delivery. Giving feedback on learner performance will be quite different in a computer-based learning environment as compared to a face-to-face learning environment. Also, intelligent tutoring systems can evaluate the learner input and suggest possible routes for solving a problem or task. It is the instructional designer’s task therefore to select the appropriate mix of media to ensure effective learning under a given learning situation. 

However, the challenges associated with such an endeavour include the design and development of suitable indigenous learning content suitable for delivery through technology and design and implementation of pedagogically sound blended learning environments that will result in successful learning outcomes.

With such blended learning settings, a large portion of the country's population including those in rural sectors can benefit from the new technology and the country can steadily move towards its vision to become a knowledge-based economy with a more equitable society.

Author:

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, a Chartered Professional Engineer and a former Senior Lecturer at OUSL, holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in Instructional Design for Computer-Based Learning. Email: gamini_pad@hotmail.com

Blended Learning: How can Sri Lankan rural masses benefit?

The term “Blended learning” is used frequently along with the term “e-Learning”. Is it just another buzz word or an old wine in a new bottle? 

Blended learning is defined as a combination of multiple approaches to pedagogy or teaching. Blended learning is achieved through the combination of virtual and physical resources. Blended learning is a blend between e-Learning and traditional delivery methods such as face-to-face meetings (traditional class rooms), printed learning material, etc.  

Most learners are familiar with how their teachers use different delivery methods to achieve certain learning outcomes, e.g. lectures, discussion groups, drills and practices, role plays, audio/video clips, computer-based tutorials, etc. Therefore, it can be said that blended learning is a new name for an old concept.

Blended learning can cater to a large cross section of learners in achieving their learning goals by accommodating different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning. All students do not learn in just the same way nor do they have same accessibility to technology; therefore, it is important to provide different methods, media and approaches to learn the same content by different students. The learners would choose the method that suits them best in terms of preference, accessibility, affordability, etc. Different approaches in delivery are also necessary due to different learning contexts (traditional learning, distance learning, etc.), learner types (auditory learners, visual learners, etc.) and leaning tasks (facts, concepts, etc.). Also, when the technology is not equally accessible to the entire cross-section of students, blended learning approaches could provide alternatives for the students to choose from.

The factors that influence the blend of methods and technologies used to achieve desired learning objectives include: learning context, type of learners, learning task, availability and accessibility of technology, learners’ attitudes towards using technology for learning, availability of time for learning, level of language and subject matter proficiency, pace at which learning goals are to be achieved, the pedagogical approaches used.

The actual making of the ‘blend’ should be based on proper study and evaluation of the learning situation. The study that needs to be carried out is called Instructional Design. A typical instructional design process includes five stages; Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE). The most critical of these stages is the first stage, Analysis. Analysis is the basis for design of instructions and their delivery. The Analysis stage consists of three components; analysis of learning context, analysis of learner, and analysis of the learning task. The selection of the type of instruction and the mode of its delivery should be based on the findings of the instructional analysis. Analyses of the learning context and the types of learners will provide information on: gaps in knowledge, learner concerns and background including their preferred styles of learning, performance levels, language proficiency, access to and attitude towards technology, time constraints, age groups, etc.

These findings have implications on the design and delivery of instructions. For example, if most of the learners are either auditory or visual learners, the design of instruction should include audio and video components. Similarly, if the learners are adults who work full-time or part-time, face-to-face delivery of instruction is not suitable as the primary mode of delivery. In this case the design and delivery of instruction should be made to suit a distance learning environment. Then, the question arises as to what type of distance learning is affordable to the learner. Does the learner have access to information and communication technology (ICT) where instructions can be delivered in the form of offline content or online through the Internet? If the learners have no access to ICT, then the option will be to provide the learners with print material specially designed for distance learning. If the analysis shows that a good part of the learners have access to ICT, then the delivery of learning content should be made through both ICT and print material. This is just an example of blending different methods of delivery of instruction to suit different types of learners and learning contexts.

Blended teaching and learning methods also become relevant when implementation of different steps in the learning process is considered. The different steps that a learner needs to go through to accomplish a learning task successfully are known as Events of Instruction. There are nine events of instruction: 1. Gaining attention, 2. Informing the learner of the objective, 3. Stimulating learner’s attention, 4. Stimulating recall of prior knowledge, 5. Providing learning guidance, 6. Eliciting performance, 7. Providing feedback, 8. Assessing performance, and 9. Enhancing retention and transfer. Different approaches or media could be used to achieve each event of instruction.  

The type of learning task, i.e. whether it is a fact, principle or a procedure, too has a bearing on the methods of delivery. Design of events of instruction varies from task to task. Providing learning guidance, eliciting performance, giving feedback, assessing performance, etc. will be heavily dependent on the type of learning task and mode of delivery. For example, giving feedback on learner performance will be quite different in a computer-based learning environment as compared to a face-to-face learning environment. Also, intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), if implemented, can evaluate the learner input and suggest possible routes for consideration of the learner in solving the problem or task. It is the instructional designer’s task therefore to select the appropriate mix of media to ensure effective learning under a given learning situation. 

A significant advantage of a blended learning programme is the ability to cater to individual needs. An individual could receive additional information and training through extra e-learning programmes whilst still attending classroom training with other students. Design and development of effective blended learning environments depend on sound instructional design.

With broadband networks and regular Internet, it is possible to deliver relevant and useful educational and training content for the benefit of the learners throughout the country. The content could include material for school and university programmes, improvement of general skills such as English knowledge and computer literacy, vocational skills such as repair and maintenance of automobiles, computers, house wiring, electrical maintenance, etc. However, those who are familiar with distance learning are aware of the main hardships the learners face; the lack of tutor support and feedback.

The "theory" part of the learning task can be delivered through the technology. How can the tutor support and feedback be provided to the learners? The way to go about with this issue may be to use a blended learning approach. It is possible to meet the above learner needs through a combination of online and face-to-face tutor support. Face-to-face tutor support can be provided at venues such as Open University's regional and study centres, technical colleges, and other suitable public and private sector educational establishments. With such a blended learning setting, a large portion of the country's population can benefit from the new technology and the country can steadily move towards its vision to become a knowledge-based economy.

However, the challenges associated with such an endeavour include the design and development of suitable indigenous learning content suitable for delivery through digital technology and design and implementation of pedagogically sound blended learning environments that will result in successful learning outcomes.

Author:

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, a Chartered Professional Engineer and a former Senior Lecturer at OUSL, holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in Instructional Design for Computer-Based Learning. Email: gamini_pad@hotmail.com

e-Learning: For Greater Access to Higher Education and Better Social Equality

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http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2020/05/18/e-learning-for-greater-access-to-higher-education-and-better-social-equality/

e-Learning: For Greater Access to Higher Education and Better Social Equality

e-Learning has become a buzz word nowadays. e-Learning essentially uses information and communication and technology (ICT) for teaching and learning. The importance and relevance of e-Learning can be well recognized in view of the current pandemic situation and general global trends in education. 

His Excellency the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his manifesto has given the highest priority to providing higher education opportunities to all those who pass the A/L exam. This indeed is a noble task and implementation of such a task can be greatly facilitated by e-Learning, which does not require heavy investments on expensive physical infrastructure to accommodate large numbers of students and facilities. An e-Learning approach with proper ICT networks, sound learning management systems (LMS) and appropriately developed e-Learning content can make a significant contribution towards enhancing the access to a larger portion of the deserving youth. The present situation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has added another dimension to the importance and relevance of e-Learning. e-Learning came to the rescue of many pupils and students during the lock-down period as an alternative to  missed face-to-face classes and lectures. It is evident that the use of e-Learning can help us in meeting many of the challenges that are created by the emerging trends in education as well as emergency situations such as the current pandemic.

The global trends are: The demand for education is rising. The education which was previously accessible only to a limited few representing the elitist groups has become more widely accessible to members of the larger community. This has created enormous pressure on existing traditional educational institutions, which usually have limited resources and until recently operated only on the face-to-face mode of teaching.

The demand for distance learning is rising. Today the jobs are very demanding due to the rapidly advancing technology. Therefore, everyone has to continuously update or upgrade their training and education to stay competitive. Accordingly, many would resort to distance learning for keeping themselves up-to-date and stay competitive in their jobs. Also, many would like to acquire their initial qualifications or new skills to change their career paths, through distance learning.

Life-long learning is gaining increasing relevance. In view of the necessity to keep up with the changes in technology and to stay competitive in their jobs, many would embrace life-long learning as an appropriate approach.

Shift from teacher-centred learning to learner-centred learning. Another important change that is taking place is that the focus of teaching and learning has shifted from the teacher to the learner. The teacher’s role has changed from teaching or lecturing to coaching or facilitating. The future vision for education is identified as one that provides access for anyone, for any type (subject) of learning, at any place and at any time.

These emerging trends in the field of education amply highlight the importance and relevance of e-Learning as a useful means for meeting the challenges emanating from the new trends in education.

However, one of the biggest concerns among the educators involved in e-Learning is the lack of sufficient pedagogical input in the design of related instructions. It is obvious that e-Learning is a very worthwhile endeavour in present context. However, what is not so obvious is what it takes to implement e-Learning successfully.

Successful implementation of e-Learning has three main fronts to tackle. They are: the technological front, the front concerning the learner preparedness, and the front involving the effective design of instructions.

The technological front involves the provision of ICT networks with appropriate capacity, economy and reliability to meet the demands of e-Learning. This means having a reliable communication network, accessible to users throughout the country and capable of transferring large amounts of data including audio and video files at a reasonable speed and at affordable price. Presently, this does not pose a major concern to e-Learners, even if there are concerns in some areas, the necessary actions are underway to rectify them. The initiatives taken by Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and network expansions undertaken by telecom companies would alleviate this concern to a large extent.

The second important front in implementing e-Learning is the learner preparedness. It is necessary for the learners to be computer-literate to participate in e-Learning. Despite the high rankings in traditional literacy ratings, Sri Lankans lag behind its neighbours in terms of computer literacy. The current computer literacy rate of Sri Lanka is 30.1%, where this percentage for urban sector is around 41.5%, and rural and estate sectors represent, 28.6% and 13.7%, respectively, as per the statistics available.   This is another major concern that needs to be addressed promptly.

Another essential factor under learner preparedness is the competency in English language. Our English Proficiency Indices are also lower than that of most neighbouring countries. It is obvious that without a competency in English the learners are unlikely to reap the full benefits of e-Learning. It is therefore necessary to initiate programmes to uplift the competencies in English and computer literacy throughout the country, particularly in the rural communities.

Solutions to this issue can also be found through Computer-Aided Learning (CAL) materials. Particularly, the improvements to the competency levels in English can be achieved through properly designed interactive multimedia learning materials to be made available through CDs. Provision of learning materials through such a medium will provide wider access and consistency in training, minimise the problems associated with the lack of human tutor support and also train the users towards e-Learning. These CDs can be run on individual computers without networks or Internet. A high degree of computer literacy is not required to use the CDs for learning.

The third front, which is not obvious to many, is the instructional design. It is important that e-Learning materials are properly designed with appropriate pedagogical inputs, if successful learning outcomes are to be achieved. It is quite possible that both the first two fronts are already satisfied (technology and user preparedness) but no successful implementation of e-Learning is possible since the e-Learning content is either not developed or poorly designed. It is therefore important to pay high attention to the design of e-Learning content with appropriate pedagogical inputs and sound instructional design techniques.

However, the objective of using the appropriate instructional design techniques is to achieve effective learning outcomes. The instructional designers design instructions, learning activities, discussion forums, practice sessions, assessments, feedback mechanisms, etc. These design activities are based on the context within which the learning takes place (learning context), the type of learner, and the type of learning task. The use of technology and media such as discussion forums, chat rooms, audio, video, etc. is dependent on the instructional design. The technologies should not be used indiscriminately just because they are available. On the other hand, appropriate use of technologies such as audio, video, animations, etc. in instructions may make them appealing to a diverse cross section of learners, thus making them more useful and effective.

Creating necessary facilities for e-Learning for both urban (20%) and rural (80%) sectors in the country may help reduce the existing inequalities between the two sectors in access to quality education thereby the overall economic and social gaps. Therefore, this is an excellent opportunity to be snatched by the authorities responsible for alleviating the social inequalities present in our society. However, if such facilities are not adequately provided to the rural communities in a timely manner, they will be further alienated by what is known as ‘the digital divide”.

It is advisable that policy makers have a thorough review of the total requirements for implementing e-Learning successfully and provide necessary direction to the appropriate institutions. e-Learning shall be used as a standalone approach as well as a complementary approach to traditional teaching and learning (Blended Learning), using existing educational institutions as well as new ones.

Author:

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, a Chartered Professional Engineer and a former Senior Lecturer at OUSL, holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury, NZ. His PhD thesis was on Instructional Design for Computer-Based Learning. email: gamini_pad@hotmail.com

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