Choosing & Using Technologies in Education & Training
The project began in June 1992, with a focus on OTEN (Open Training & Education Network of New South Wales TAFE) students with disabilities. We are currently investigating mainstreaming this project into core Internet delivery strategies. As part of the preliminary phase of the project, considerable research into email services in distance education, both in Australia and overseas, was undertaken. Crucial parameters were that the system should be accessible to students who have a wide range of disabilities and that those using low specification computers should be able to use it. The Telstra Keylink electronic mail service was decided upon.
The initial phase of this project involved cooperation between OTEN and the NSW Department of School Education (DSE). OTEN obtained a Keylink account under the NSW DSE account and received valuable assistance from the DSE Keylink Administrator.
In 1992, Keylink was suitable for our purposes in several respects. These included:
It was initially intended to train Disabilities Unit staff in the use of Keylink and then to introduce the facility to students. However, a low level of computer literacy among staff then working in Disabilities, plus Keylink's rigid command structure, brought about a reappraisal of this approach. The OTEN Keylink Connection was therefore written. This involved using public domain communication software developed by the University of Columbia (USA). This software allowed OTEN to write script files to replace complex Keylink commands with function keys and friendly prompts. he files could also be easily modified to tailor to individual circumstances and needs.
A tutorial style manual called Email via the OTEN Keylink Connection was written to guide users through all activities, from installation of the software to all aspects of operation. It is available in hard copy and on computer disk.
Training of Disabilities Unit staff and of selected teachers took place. This is a self paced, individual program, with support available if needed. Less than an hour is required to do the training. Students with disabilities were then gradually introduced to the system, beginning in late 1993.
There were two major aims of the project:
Learners:
The clients of this project are OTEN students with disabilities. Of the 30,000 students currently enrolled at OTEN, over 2,500 have indicated that they have a disability. Those who are potential candidates for inclusion in the project have at least basic computer skills and access to a computer and modem. The OTEN Disabilities Unit has a small pool of loan equipment, including notebook computers and modems. This limited supply of equipment can be provided to students on a short term basis for evaluation purposes. This resource has been valuable in allowing students to develop skills relevant to this project and to undertake study generally. While there is a quite large pool of potential candidates, the above necessary prerequisites mean that only a small number of students are ultimately connected to Keylink.
Other Stakeholders:
Primary stakeholders were initially OTEN Teacher/Consultants for students with disabilities. The facility can be used for communication between them and their students. However, with the introduction of an easy-to-use, Internet based electronic mail system at OTEN, it has been increasingly difficult to motivate this group to use Keylink.
Any OTEN teacher working with a student using Keylink is also a stakeholder, although not usually using Keylink. Assignments submitted via Keylink are processed at a central point and the work forwarded to the teacher for comment. For this process to be successful, the cooperation of individual teachers is essential and has almost always been forthcoming.
It was envisaged that the facility could be used as a vehicle to improve communication between students and between students and teachers. In particular, faster response to student requests for assistance was, and remains, a high priority of the project. In the context of distance education, this is very important. Similarly, the importance for students of receiving prompt feedback on assignments is well recognized. As will be discussed in more detail below, the Keylink facility has the potential to provide extremely fast response. Even with the sometimes hybrid approach used for dealing with assignments, turn-around time for assignments has been very pleasing. The best result so far was receipt of an assignment at OTEN in the morning and receipt of feedback by the student later that day!
As well as the above tangible benefits, the project has been instrumental in students developing important skills and confidence with the technology employed. One student studying information technology even stated that he learned more about the subject through his exposure to Keylink than the formal study material.
The specifications for both hardware and software were deliberately quite modest at the commencement of the project. With the dramatic advances in both computers generally and communication options over the ensuing five years, the facilities appear very primitive. While this issue will be given more consideration below, it is important to recognize the very broad range of students who have made use of the system. That is, the combination of software used and of hardware requirements did not exclude people with a wide range of significant disabilities. Students have used computers ranging from 286s running MS-DOS to Pentiums with Windows 95. Several totally blind students used synthetic speech output successfully. A quadriplegic student using a speech input system on his computer was given an account. Unfortunately, while it seemed that early teething problems could have been resolved, the student lost motivation. It is necessary, however, for users to have considerable knowledge of basic computer concepts, including directory structure and file formats.
It is technically possible to transfer any type of file via Keylink. In almost all circumstances, though, students are strongly encouraged to convert material into text before sending it. This is partly to prevent binary files being placed on the bulletin board, partly to avoid the need for OTEN staff to convert files upon receipt and partly because Keylink's handling of binary files can cause problems for the unwary.
Initially, Keylink offered only 2400 baud modem access. Especially for text transfer, this speed was manageable. However, Telstra's later adoption of 14,400 baud access for Keylink has been a major benefit (higher speeds have not yet been implemented). Some students in remote locations have experienced considerable problems with poor phone line quality. These problems have been resolved through modification of their script files. This use of script files, written by an OTEN staff member, provided considerable flexibility and made Keylink easier to use. Scope to provide specific instructions to modems using poor phone lines has already been mentioned. On some occasions, adjustments were also necessary to deal with unusual modems or computer configuration. A script which allows staff at OTEN to have some control over a student's computer remotely was written to meet the need to tailor the setup on some students' computers. This has been a very helpful resource, allowing fast and easy transfer of configuration files to students up to thousands of kilometres away. While not as sophisticated as commercial remote access software, the "server" script is robust and inexpensive.
Further software was written to allow submission of assignments by students via email. There were two overriding criteria. One was that assignments must not get lost during the process. This was met by writing thoroughly tested safeguards into the software. In the worst case, where transfer of an assignment is interrupted, the student is given a clear message that the transmission has not been successful.
The second criterion was that, once received at OTEN, each assignment should follow the same path as assignments received by conventional mail. To achieve this, a one page document called a Marks Record Slip (MRS) must be generated. This is accomplished via software included with the Keylink Connection. An executable program asks the student a series of questions and, from the answers, the MRS is generated. hat program then passes control to the communication software, which is controlled by a purpose-written script file. The student's assignment and the MRS are transferred to a specific Keylink mailbox. Upon receipt at OTEN, the assignment is registered in the usual way and the MRS is printed. Both are then sent to the relevant teacher - the assignment ideally by internal email.
Finance & Management:
Keylink charges have been met through funds provided to OTEN by NSW TAFE for support of students with disabilities. Modems were provided through a capital equipment submission to the then Department of Employment Education & Training (DEET).
Human Resources:
NSW TAFE employs teacher/consultants for students with various disabilities. There is one Teacher/Consultant (Adaptive Technology) based at OTEN, with cross disability responsibilities. The project is this person's responsibility. He has undertaken the initial research, the preparation of script files and the writing of the Keylink Connection manual. Importantly, OTEN's instructional design staff contributed to the appearance of both the software and manual. The Teacher/Consultant Adaptive Technology has provided support to students using the system and has written the vast bulk of material put on the bulletin board by OTEN.
One of the major problems described in the literature reviewed in 1992 in relation to electronic mail projects was quite rapidly waning enthusiasm by participants. This problem has certainly been evident in this project. Some students lost interest after initial enthusiasm and others, despite several telephone calls, did not log on at all. With never more than 20 students registered at one time, the problem can become self-perpetuating due to enthusiastic participants finding little of interest and, themselves, then losing interest. Over the past two years, it has been found that student interest is better maintained if the responsible OTEN staff member places items on the bulletin board on a weekly basis. hile most students will still read messages and not contribute, a small nucleus of students can, in this way, be encouraged to contribute.
The reason for limiting student numbers is essentially the time constraints on the Teacher/Consultant Adaptive Technology. The process of contacting prospective participants and providing subsequent support can be quite time consuming.
The problem of encouraging participation is a recurring one. Especially at the end of each year, a number of students conclude their study with OTEN and the process of ‘recruitment’ must begin all over again.
The success of the assignment submission component of the project has been very pleasing, both in technical terms and in its acceptance by students. Blind students especially enjoyed having feedback provided by email, as they could then read the teacher's comments independently. However, enthusiasm was not restricted to these students. The dual benefits of reduced turn around time and ease of submission also appealed to others, the latter benefit being of particular relevance to those with severe physical disabilities.
With one exception, OTEN teachers have been willing to work with students who submitted assignments via Keylink. Due to a number f factors, the approach in individual situations varied considerably. Because Keylink is a self-contained system, students cannot communicate directly with a teacher unless the teacher also has a Keylink account. In the first few years, selected teachers did have Keylink accounts and were notified when an assignment had been forwarded to them. Subsequently, OTEN has established a very easy to use email system and assignments can be forwarded to teachers who have access to it by that means. For those who do not have access, assignments can be forwarded on disk. In selected cases, where either the teacher is not confident to respond by computer or responses on paper are more appropriate, a hardcopy of the assignment is produced.
The availability of the email facility within OTEN, which also allows email to any Internet email address, has seen teacher/consultants lose interest in the project. One relatively new teacher/consultant, after using Keylink briefly, advised that he would prefer to communicate with his students via the Internet.
Indeed, the apparently all-pervading influence of the Internet is beginning to encroach on this project. Students, as well as teachers, are beginning to decline Keylink access because they already have an Internet address. Given the "user friendly" nature of current Internet access software for most people and the resources available through it, Keylink can appear a rather unglamorous option by comparison. OTEN is considering the educational implications of the Internet and trials of teaching and assignment submission are being conducted. Careful attention is being paid to needs of students with disabilities and information gained from the Keylink project is being incorporated. To this end, a document setting out requirements for email access for students with disabilities via the Internet has been prepared.
The fundamental issue is that Internet facilities which are implemented must offer access to the broadest possible range of students. While Keylink is not what might popularly be seen as "user friendly", this project has demonstrated that it can provide resources to a broad range of people, including those with diverse and significant disabilities. It is important that communication options which are put in place in the future also meet this standard.
Thanks to Andrew Downie, Open Training and Education Network NSW, for providing this case study.
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