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1、Virtual Schools and E-Learning in K-12 Environments: Emerging Policy and PracticeAllow learning to occur at the students initiativeany time, any place.From http:/www.ncrel.org/policy/pubs/html/pivol11/apr2002.htm (9-8-09)About This IssueSince 1996, enormous progress has been made toward achieving th
2、e U.S. Department of Educations goal to build a national technology infrastructure to support its vision for effective technology use in the nations elementary and secondary schools. Significant increases in federal, state, local, and private investment in the national technology infrastructure have
3、 helped many teachers and students in elementary and secondary schools obtain access to and begin using a variety of powerful new online learning tools. These tools enable distance learning and technology based instructional delivery systems.Recent growth in national attention directed toward online
4、 courses and virtual schools underscores the importance of e-learning policy and online learning practices. In response to these needs, this edition of Policy Issues aims to: Summarize the critical e-learning issues related to education policy. Provide an overview of what works, based on recent rese
5、arch and program assessment. Offer policy recommendations to support decision makers and policy leaders charged with the investigation and deployment of online courses and Internet-based learning environments in K-12 schools and school districts. The full complexity and impact of e-learning and onli
6、ne courses on policy and practice in K-12 schools and school districts is emerging only now as a subject for consideration and discussion by leadership in public education. It is imperative that state-level education policymakers become active participants in the ongoing conversations about K-12 onl
7、ine learning. Such participation will help ensure the systematic implementation of effective e-learning strategies in the nations elementary and secondary schools.A Message from Gina Burkhardt, NCREL Executive DirectorWelcome to the April 2002 edition of Policy Issuesa research-based analysis of edu
8、cation issues. This edition takes a look at online learning and virtual schools. It also presents the policy and practice implications that can enhance the potential of electronically delivered learning, or e-learning, as a viable and effective educational approach.E-learning is a powerful instructi
9、onal strategy because it transcends the boundaries of traditional classroom instruction. In fact, it creates virtual schools that allow learning to occur at the students initiativeany time, any place. E-learning also holds promise for promoting equity by providing students with access to courses tha
10、t otherwise might not be available, such as accelerated courses in remote rural areas.Education leaders and policymakers play an important role in guiding the development of e-learning strategies. Their understanding and involvement is crucial for effective implementation of e-learning and virtual s
11、chools for K-12 students.For additional information on e-learning, visit NCRELs E-Learning Knowledge Base Web site.Virtual Schools and E-Learning in K-12 EnvironmentsEmerging Policy and PracticeBy Robert Blomeyer, NCREL Program AssociateOnline learningalso known as electronically delivered learning
12、or e-learningis one of the most important and potentially significant new instructional approaches available for supporting the improvement of teaching and learning in Americas K-12 schools today. According to a recent report of the National Association of State Boards of Education, E-learning will
13、improve American education in valuable ways and should be universally implemented as soon as possibleA growing body of evidence supports the conclusion that when e-learning is deployed with identical attention to the enabling details that characterize high quality face-to-face instruction, it can ef
14、fectively complement, enhance, and expand educational options available for K-12 students. In cases where e-learning is appropriately deployed, educators can generally anticipate student academic performance that is at least equivalent to traditional classroom instruction (Cavanaugh, 2001).Access to
15、 online learning systems in public education has shown dramatic growth with support from the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund and the Federal Communications Commissions E-Rate program. According to the most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 98 percent of U.S. public
16、schools were connected to the Internet in fall 2000 (Cattagni & Farris, 2001). Investments in computers, Internet access, technology professional development, technical support, and content development have allowed elementary and secondary teachers and students to experience the benefits of using th
17、ese powerful new learning technologies.The deployment and diffusion of online courses in K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions is becoming an almost irresistible force. Accordingly, it is now important to give careful, systematic consideration to details that will have lasting impacts on the U
18、.S. educational system. Such consideration must be given to all aspects of e-learning and online education that may affect the quality, efficiency, equity, and educational choices available to all American studentsregardless of age, race, religion, or socioeconomic standingany time, any place, any p
19、ath, any pace (NASBE, 2001, p. 6).Online Courses and Virtual High SchoolsInternet use in K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions is having a profound impact on the evolution of computer use and the curricular integration of new learning technologies (Valdez et al., 2000). For example: A recent P
20、hi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll survey shows that 35 percent of parents approved of their children earning high school credits online without attending a regular school (Rose & Gallup, 2001). Dr. William J. Bennett, U.S. Secretary of Education during the Reagan administration, has gone from criticizing t
21、he use of technology in schools to creating his own highly publicized nationwide cyberschool, now open for Grades K-2. With such broad support and demand, it is not surprising that virtual schools are springing up across the country. (See Americas First Public Virtual High School.) Commercial potent
22、ial is adding momentum to this growth. Virtual schools now exist in more than two-dozen states. Well-established virtual schools in Florida and Utah boast student enrollments in the thousands (Clark, 2001).Definitions to KnowDiscussions about online learning and courses delivered over distance may b
23、e confusing for readers who are unaccustomed to literature on distance education and technology-based instructional delivery systems. The following definitions offer points of reference for comparing some of the most important concepts of online learning. Distance education: Educational situation in
24、 which the instructor and students are separated by time, location, or both. Education or training courses are delivered to remote locations via synchronous or asynchronous means of instruction, including written correspondence, text, graphics, audio- and videotape, CD-ROM, online learning, audio- a
25、nd videoconferencing, interactive TV, and facsimile. Distance learning does not preclude the use of the traditional classroom. The definition of distance education is broader than and entails the definition of e-learning. (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2000) Distance learning: The desired outcome of distance ed
26、ucation. (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2000) E-learning: Covers a wide set of applications and processes such as Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration. It includes the delivery of content via Internet, intranet/extranet (LAN/WAN), audio- and videotape, satel
27、lite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD-ROM. (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2000) Virtual school: An educational organization that offers K-12 courses through Internet- or Web-based methods. (Clark, 2001, p. 1) Definitions from Kaplan-Leiserson (2000) are from the E-Learning Glossary, available online at http:/w
28、ww.learningcircuits.org/glossary . Copyright 2000 by the American Society for Training and Development. Reprinted with permission.The advent of e-learning in Americas secondary schools means that students in small rural high schools, who might not otherwise have access to Advanced Placement courses,
29、 can complete such courses online and gain academic credit at quality institutions of higher education. Availability of online course-equivalent learning environments may mean that an injured and homebound high school senior, unable to attend the one available section of a required class, can fulfil
30、l the requirement and graduate with the rest of his or her class. In short, e-learning offers a potentially important resource for providing accelerated courses that otherwise might not be available, filling gaps in required course offerings, increasing graduation rates, and reducing dropout rates.P
31、ublications on E-Learning Policy and PracticeThe significance of online courses and virtual schools has been underscored by the release of important recent publications describing the contemporary context for e-learning and detailing the important policy issues concerning use of online courses in th
32、e K-12 schools. The first of these publications on e-learning is titled The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice (Web-Based Education Commission, 2000). This report examines the promise of the Internet for improving the national education system, with particular attent
33、ion to equity. It also reports on the significant obstacles blocking fuller utilization of Web-based teaching and learning.Concrete recommendations are given for this purpose. The report is illustrated by a series of case-based examples looking at exemplary uses of Web-based teaching and learning in
34、 all types of settings ranging from military training to migrant education, including e-learning applications in K-12 schools.E-learning can provide both accelerated and required courses, leading to increased graduation rates and reduced dropout rates.At about the same time that the Web-Based Educat
35、ion Commission was completing its report, the U.S. Department of Education was releasing the revised National Educational Technology Plan titled E-Learning: Putting a World Class Education at the Fingertips of All Children (Office of Educational Technology, 2000). This document uses the term e-learn
36、ing in a context broader than recent references that are more limited to online courses and virtual schools. It proposes and elaborates the following National Educational Technology Goals:Goal 1: All students and teachers will have access to information technology in their classrooms, schools, commu
37、nities, and homes.Goal 2: All teachers will use technology effectively to help students achieve high academic standards.Goal 3: All students will have technology and information literacy skills.Goal 4: Research and evaluation will improve the next generation of technology applications for teaching a
38、nd learning.Goal 5: Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning. (Office of Educational Technology, 2000, p. 4)Although online courses and virtual high schools are discussed in some detail in the body of the plan, it seems clear that the emphasis of the plan is br
39、oadly concerned with supporting high quality curriculum content and improved student academic achievement. In fact, the motto of one of the models for technology integration prominently featured in the plan summarizes the general position of the National Educational Technology Plan: Its not about te
40、chnology. Its about learning (Office of Educational Technology, 2000, p. 14).Most recently, the National Association of State Boards of Education has released a significant new report titled Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace: Taking the Lead on E-Learning Policy (NASBE, 2001). The use of the t
41、erm e-learning in this report focuses entirely on virtual courses and virtual schools. This emphasis is illustrated in the reports Executive Summary, which makes the case that the available evidence convincingly demonstrates that electronically delivered courses and virtual schools can improve how s
42、tudents learn, can improve what students learn, and can deliver high-quality learning opportunities to all children (NASBE, 2000, p. 4).E-Learning Policy Implications for K-12 Educators and Decision MakersStart-Up CostsThe history of the development and dissemination of computer-aided learning (CAL)
43、 or computer-assisted instruction (CAI) deployed in the K-12 schools during the last 40 years suggests that that the development and production of online learning technologies is an expensive and labor-intensive proposition for both schools and teachers.For classroom teachers, the amount of time req
44、uired to develop and implement high-quality online learning environments (including thorough curriculum research and systematic design, implementation, and testing of evaluation prototypes) amounts to a serious opportunity cost for the supporting school that often is overlooked by school administrat
45、ors.Consider this classical formula for estimating the amount of time required to develop a single contact hour of computer-assisted instruction:Estimates for the development of materials range from 50 to 150 person-hours of development time to one hour of instruction. This range is usually true in
46、the development of computer-assisted instructional materials, filmed materials, and tape materials using a systematic model that includes an assessment of the problem as well as an evaluation and revision of the materials until they reach the specified instructional objectives. It may take, however,
47、 as many as 2,000 hours to develop one hour of instruction (Knirk & Gustafson, 1986, p. 187).Experience has shown that unless teacher-technologists who pioneer the integration of new learning technologies in curriculum (either via screening and selection or local development of applications) are pro
48、vided appropriate release time and other support apparently required for high-quality learning outcomes, the resulting materials may be ineffective. Materials developed under such conditions were tried as alternatives and proved to be time-consuming, expensive, and inefficient (Blomeyer, 1991, p. 14
49、6).From the teacher-technologists perspective, whether online learning is developed and implemented by commercial publishers and professional software developers or developed locally by the most innovative and talented K-12 master teachers, it is certain that quality e-learning can become available in the public schools only if public education is willing to invest in the front-end costs.The specific costs of e
