References to research

 

1. ImpaCT2

The rigorous ImpaCT2 report, produced in early f2003 after a two year research project in 60 British schools, showed little evidence of significant learning gains through the use of ICT across the curriculum. See report summary or more digestible TES coverage (search for 'Mixed blessings', published on 03/01/2003). We believe that the reasons for this are given by...

2. Article on e-learning in industry

These disappointing findings have been mirrored by the general disillusion in industry at the much hyped benefits to them of e-learning. See Hard lessons from the big e-learning experiment from the Guardian: , which provides a series of sound, commonsense conclusions from the experience of industry:

'The concept was right but the implementation of it was wrong'
'E-learning needs to be part of the training mix, not the whole package'

In other words, e-learning must be integrated into the traditional teaching methods. That means that the teacher must be able to manage delivery i.e. use an effective Learning Management System.

3. OFSTED report: ICT in schools (April 2001)

A cool-headed appraisal of the effectiveness with which ICT is being implemented in many schools, both as a subject in its own right, and as a means of supporting other parts of the curriculum (e-learning). This report provides the analysis which makes sense of the disappointing quantitive data of the ImpaCT2 report. Particularly significant are summary paragraphs 34 and 35 on page 14, quoted here in full.

34. Despite the positive examples above, progress in the development of ICT skills in subjects is slow. In particular, pupils do not have the discrimination skills needed to tackle complex ICT applications. In obtaining ICT-based information a great deal of time is often wasted in inefficient use of CD-ROMs and Internet searches. Pupils do not have suitable strategies for efficiently and selectively searching the data available. Sometimes the content of a site is not fully explored and understood before they move on to another that appears on the surface to be more interesting.

35. For too many pupils, the location of information remains an end in itself, and they present information unprocessed. In order to progress, pupils require much more sensitivity, determination and understanding to handle large volumes of potentially relevant information, as well as strategies for focusing on the most useful material for the purpose in hand. Too often the use of ICT involves unnecessary extra work or unproductive waiting, such as when finding and downloading a map from the Internet or printing graphic images.

These conclusions are a welcome challenge to the predominant 'cut-and-paste' culture of internet research. We believe that the unstructured use of computers for research is not based on any serious pedagogy, but (in the absence of the right content and software infrastructure) on a failure to know what else do with all the expensive hardware being installed in schools.