HCI VISTAS, VOLUME-II, 2005-2006

 

There can't be e-Learning without e-Teaching!

 

Dr. Dinesh S. Katre

Article IRN-3./Aug. 2005
 
During my paper presentation at National Seminar on e-Learning and e-Learning Technologies, Hyderabad, August 2005, I strongly argued that there can't be e-Learning without e-Teaching! In other words, if the so-called e-learning system is merely presenting the courseware through network, without attempting to teach the student, then it is 'electronic courseware distribution system' only. Let me spell out in full form the term 'electronic learning', to question the contribution of electronic systems in the learning process? Is it only to electronically distribute the course material? In that case the resultant outcome is conventional learning only and not e-learning. During the seminar, many presenters came to me and appreciated my viewpoint.
 
Most e-learning systems have proven their capabilities in administering the course conduct and delivering the courseware through network in an asynchronous way. But for live interaction with the teacher, one has to adopt synchronous approach. The much-embellished term 'self-paced learning' has reduced itself to 'learn at your own' (or go to hell) without enough guidance. It is much harder and worse than the conventional learning process wherein at least the teacher is available for guidance. The skepticism of how much a learner can really learn from such e-learning systems continues to bother us even today.
  
The concept of e-learning is contiguous with e-teaching.
  
In other words, the concept of e-learning can exist only if there is e-teaching. But the reality is quite different, as most of the e-learning systems don't teach at all but merely present the courseware. In addition to the courseware, the e-learning systems need to be supported with knowledge, intelligence and teacher like behavior and traits. Without these elements, e-teaching and the resultant e-learning is just unthinkable.
  
My research paper titled as "Designing the teacher like behavior of e-learning system: A case study of Indian Scripts Typing Tutor" is being published by Journal of Education Technology. It presents the behavioral patterns and traits of 'Teacher' studied by me. These behavioral patterns and traits are universally identifiable in a good teacher and mostly they are missing in the so-called e-learning systems. I have applied Transactional Analysis (TA) to study the behavioral patterns and modeled them as 'Guiding, Polite, Idolizing, Accusing and Scaring' models.
 
And there are traits like informing, entertaining, inspiring, supporting, encouraging, appreciating, metaphorizing, explaining, demonstrating, evaluating, personalizing, challenging, facilitating the learning process, and so on. I have elaborated on the traits in the context of animate metaphors like 'teacher' in my Ph.D. thesis. The behabioral models and traits are useful in shaping up the functionality of e-learning system. Absence of the above mentioned behavioral characteristics and traits in the e-learning system is surely the absence of 'teacher' and therefore 'teaching'.
 
The so-called e-learning systems should be held accountable to teach x topic, to x student with minimum x % of learning and within x timeframe. Having set the coordinates, teaching which is a proactive and intelligent behavior that arouses learning in the student becomes inevitable. 
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I do agree with you a lot! therefore I attach two papers of mine that discusses the same issue but from diffent angles. (the first is accepted at the ECEL 2005 conference in Amsterdam, the second is among the 22 best papers at the WCCE2005 conference in Cape Town). After all one aspect of being human is the capability to pass on knowledge and skills from one generation to another.

But also I think that there are degrees and variations - that it is more complex than a yes or no (eg. nobody tought (supposed to be past tense of teach) me when I was 2½ year old to play my favorit songs from the radio on the piano - with both hands - that I did by myself. Nobody tought me to programme in Lingo for Macromedia Director - that I did by my self by using tutorials and trying it out. But I could never learn to play in a band without others, and I could never learn to produce learning applications without others).

Being a professional developer of e-learning for 15 years - I also believe (and have experienced) that it is possible to implement pedagogy into applications
(that is stand alone interactive learning applications) and having learners learning though these applications though selfstudy. However the success of this approach is highly dependant on the subject matter (which have to be well stuctured) and the learning object (according to eg. Dreyfus and Dreyfustaxonomy). Learning programming is possible, learning german grammar is possible, learning to perform computation of interest, the procedures of bookkeeping etc.
(that is procedural skills. Here learners can approch Dreyfus and Dreyfus´ level 3.

When it comes to aquiering competencies of how to apply the skills in practice (going beyond Dreyfus and Dreyfus´ level 3) it is not possible without a social context for the learner. This social context can be both fellow students and teachers (as both Laurillard and Salmon writes). However again, when the learning is organized formally by an institution (university, school ...) it is the responsibility of that institution and thus also the responsibility of the teachers to secure that learners learn, as well as learners learn how to learn.
Prof. Karin Levinsen (Copenhegan Business School, Denmark)
 
In order to agree or disagree with the question, we need to understand the question really well. The very basis for the question can be argued from multiple point of views:
 
1. Does learning happen without the formal teaching?
2. Do we need teacher (traditionally - as a person)in order to facilitate learning?
3. Can teaching and learning be separated?
 
And my response to all the above questions would be YES. I believe that learning can occur without formal teaching or without a formal teacher. A great example would be " "Eklavya" who learned archery without formal teacher. Of course he did have imaginary teacher whom he learned from. Also when you look at real life we all learn by experiences (our own or from others), where experience becomes a teacher. On the other front my current research in K-12 school system and within Higher Ed space clearly indicates that today's digital native young students (highly technology savvy: thriving on technology) learn from each others more than from any one teacher. And that is despite the fact that most of their teachers are digital immigrants (where technology is a second language for them) and are not very comfortable with the technology and they themselves are tech savvy.

Look back and you will realize that you learned most of the important things on your own or from some one else who was not a "teacher".
Well, so I do not agree that "there cant be e-learning without e-teaching".
 
Sudhakar Lahade (Industrial Designer, Polyvision, USA)