Wendy Monk, Leonie Nicholls, Vasi Doncheva and Dr. Jens Hansen from the Waiariki Institute of Technology have been investigating dimensions of e-Learning.  Joining them from Auckland has been Wollongong doctoral candidate, Patrick Baker who is investigating constructivist e-Learning and the use of authentic learning situations to heighten learning effectiveness.  Between them, they have produced what will shortly be transformed into a monograph on dimensions of e-Learning.  Wendy Monk led the crafting of a literature review that considers the Pros and Cons of e-Learning for Maori and Leonie Nichols completed a survey of the learning support needs of Waiariki e-Learners.  Patrick Baker reviewed e-Learning design platforms for tertiary education and Jens Hansen is now collating the contributions into a monograph on e-Learning that will be printed and distributed as well as up-loaded onto the net. 

Even though the literature espouses that support and guidance services be provided to distance learning students as an important determinant in their ability to achieve, Wendy Monk concluded that there is a shortfall of specific research into support services.  Monk notes that “unfortunately, while these services are important, there is very little literature that provides in-depth analysis and clarification on what support and guidance services are and how they actually support students whether they are studying via distance or on a campus.”  She suggests case study research is now needed into the nitty-gritty of what is provided by support services to determine best practices.  Furthermore, she concludes, the profile of support services within organisations needs to be raised among faculty so staff will encourage students to seek assistance to complete and succeed in their academic studies.  Monk concluded that support services need to promote their services directly to students and support services in electronic courses need to be hard-wired into platforms used to access course material.  Monk also advocates that the cultural requirements of both on-campus and distance indigenous students has to become a priority for academic providers.  Providing sufficient funding to establish and operate indigenous centres similar to those found in Australia (and across a smattering of New Zealand institutions) within which staff can develop culturally safe programmes and services for campus and non-campus based Maori students. 

Baker’s conclusions extend the work completed by Monk.  He notes researchers have found that lecturers who re-develop or adapt courses for online delivery soon realise the useful but limited ways in which they use the online environment; they soon need to develop stronger ways of supporting students.  Lecturers, therefore, have a suite of learning needs which include achieving an understanding of online processes, acquiring technical skills, developing online communication and moderation skills – all of this whilst retaining content expertise, pedagogical confidence and motivation.  Baker advocates a gradual or phased approach to this which means that staff must become involved in continuing professional development at a very early stage so that continuous quality improvement becomes assured for the benefit of students.  Educational e-Learning responsiveness is the emergent mantra.

In line with this need to focus upon students, Leonie Nicholls undertook a survey of e-Learning students from Waiariki.  Although the response rate from students was very low (n=66, 7%), some useful discoveries emerged.  First, it was found that at Waiariki, most learners were engaged with a blend of face-to-face and e-Learning and approximately half were engaged in diploma or degree programmes.  Hence, providing services for those involved in ‘blended education’, (‘blendEd’) at a higher level makes sense, especially given the trend towards funding completions rather than ‘bums on seats.’  The library, it was found, is the hub for such provision.  It was also found that courses that are more reliant upon e-Learning, not surprisingly, nurture greater needs for e-Learning support.  Moreover, Maori students are more likely to request such support and are more appreciative of such services when they are delivered.  

Nicholls’ study provides strong support for the development and implementation of a generic online ‘support package’ offering study skills and support information for all courses irrespective of the extent to which e-Learning is undertaken.  She concludes that institutional guidelines need to be developed to ensure that all online/Blend-ed courses include mechanisms which enable student/teacher and student/student contact irrespective of the mode being used.  Amongst other things, she advocates the use of Pod-Casts to promote key campus events, the provision of complementary print-friendly hard-copy materials, and, the establishment of culturally appropriate Whanau/study groups and the engagement of mentors.  Nicholls notes that learning resource requirements need to be made very clear to students so that access barriers can be overcome.  Finally, and not unexpectedly, Nicholls’ study underscored the imperative for on-going evaluation of support activities so that these can inform the ongoing professional development of online teaching staff.  

An introduction and a conclusion are now being prepared for these works so that the monograph presents as a gestalt.