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BRITISHCOLUMBIAINSTITUTEOFTECHNOLOGY

BritishColumbiaInstituteofTechnology(BCIT):AnalysisofApproachestoELearning
BassamAdlouni,ParmGill,DeepKaur,andDannyTulk
UniversityofBritishColumbia

ETEC520:PlanningandManagingTechnologiesinHigherEducation
Assignment4
Professor:TatianaBourlova

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BRITISHCOLUMBIAINSTITUTEOFTECHNOLOGY

April5,2015
WordCount:3555

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TableofContents
TableofContents

Introduction

SummaryofElearningatBCIT

CriticalSummaryofBCITsElearningPlan

CriticalAnalysisofBCITElearningStrategicPlan

FlexibilityinLearningandStudentsEngagement

CriticallyAnalyzingOrganizationalCulture,TeacherandStudentEReadiness

LackofElasticityinInstructionalandAssessmentApproachinBCITELearningDesign

10

CriticalAssessmentofMajorSynchronousandAsynchronousElearningModesof
Learning

11

LMSDiscussionBoards

11

Podcasting

12

WebConferences

13

Summary

14

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Introduction
Overthedurationof
ETEC520:PlanningandManagingTechnologyinHigher
Education
coursethissemester,ourgrouphaddecidedtoexploreandanalysisthedevelopment,
implementation,andeffectivenessofelearningwithintheBritishColumbiaInstituteof
Technology(BCIT).UponcompletionofAssignments2and3,ourgroupwasabletodevelopa
comprehensiveandmultifacetedunderstandingofelearningatBCIT,specificallyinreference
toinfrastructure,studentteacherreadiness,andorganizationalculture.Fromourresearchof
thesecategories,andsubsequentsubcategories,wededucedthatBCITisattheforefrontof
usingelearningandiseffectualinitsapplication.However,thestatementthatBCITiseffective
inutilizingelearning,shouldnotimplythatBCITsapproachiswithoutfaultorthereareno
areaswhichareinneedofimprovement.Forourculminatingprojectourgroupdecidedtorevisit
BCITselearningplanandcriticallyexploretheareasinwhichBCITcanimproveitsapproach
toelearningandimplementationofelearningstrategies.Inexploringplan,multiplethemes
emerged,howeverforbrevitywedecidedtofocusouranalysisspecificallyon:
flexibilityinLearningandStudentsengagement
criticallyanalyzingorganizationalculture,teacherandstudentereadiness
elasticity(orlackof)ininstructionalandassessmentapproachesinelearningdesign
andcriticalassessmentofmajorsynchronousandasynchronouselearningmodes
utilizedbyBCIT.
BCITisawellknown50yearoldinstituteprovidingarangeoflearningopportunitiesin
thetechnicalandresearchfields.BCIToffersoncampusandonlinelearningopportunitiesto

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bothCanadian,andinternationalstudents.Studentscantakefulltimeorparttimecoursesinthe
fieldofappliedandnaturalsciences,businessandmedia,computingandIT,engineering,health
sciences,andtradesandapprenticeship.
SummaryofElearningatBCIT
BCITscurrentelearningpolicystates:elearningistheuseofinformationand
communicationtechnologiestosupportthedeliveryofeducation,trainingandlearning
opportunities(Elearning).Intheweb2.0basedlearningenvironment,weseeacontinuumof
traditionalcampusbasedenvironmentsandonlinelearningenvironmentswhichrangefrom
providingclassroomaidstofullyonlineprograms.Inthetraditionalfacetoface(FTF)classes,
varioustechnologicaltools,suchasintegratingpollsinslidestosolicitstudentfeedback,ipads
forclassroompresentationsandstudentengagement,andimagesliders(slideshowofdifferent
imagesstartingwithtextbookpagesandmovingtowardsrealimagesofanatomy,forexample),
areutilizedtomakethelearningprocessengagingandeffective.Hence,learningenvironments
areamixofphysicalcopresenceofteacherandstudent,aidedwithonlinelearning
environments.InadditionBCITdoesofferfullyonlinecoursesandprogramsdeliveredusing
differenttechnologicalplatformsand/oraidedwithavarietyofeducationaltechnologies.
CriticalSummaryofBCITsElearningPlan
Asthearticle,
RevisitingtheNeedforStrategicPlanningforeLearninginHigher
Education
,statesthepaceofchangehasacceleratedsince2000andhighereducationisfacing
muchmoreseriouschallengesasitstrugglestodealwithdecliningfundingandgrowing
demandsforquality,relevance,accountability,efficiencyandresponsiveness(Bullen,2012,

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p.2).Factors,suchas,theexponentialtechnologicalchange,growingmobileaccess,increasing
numberoflifelonglearners,increasingstudentexpectations,increasingstudentdiversity,and
labourmarketandrevenueconditionshavehadamajorimpactonthecontext,andfocusof
BCITseducationstrategies(Stratplan,p.1415).Inaddition,thefactthatasignificationportion
ofBCITstuitionrevenueisgeneratedbyparttimeandonlinecourseshasimplicationsfor
BCITselearningstrategy.Asmentionedinour
ETEC520:PlanningandManaging
TechnologiesinHigherEducation
coursecontent,anorganizationwhichdecidestomake
elearningacorepartoftheirbusinessandimplementitonalargescale,strategicplanningfor
elearningisessential(Unit4,InstitutionalPlanningforELearning).
Unit4ofthecoursecontentalsoindicatesthatBCITdoesnothaveastandalone
elearningstrategicplan,thoughaplanwasdraftedin2012.Howeverthatplanwasneverfully
completedorimplemented(4.1StrategicPlanningforELearning).Thedraftplanwasthe
resultofanintensiveplanningprocessanddoescontainvaluableinformationsuchas,guiding
principles,strategiesandavisionforelearning.Forthispaper,wewillrefertothestrategies
discussedinThe
BCITELearningStrategy:20122015(Draft).
Whilethestandalone
TheBCIT
ELearningStrategy:20122015(Draft)
isnottheofficialelearningstrategyimplementedby
BCIT,manyofitsstrategieshavebeenadaptedintheoverallinstitutionalstrategicplan.Inother
words,whilethereisnoimplementedstandaloneelearningstrategyplan,therearecomponent
elearningstrategiesembeddedinBCITslongtermStrategicPlan,whichisrefreshedonan
annualbasis(BCIT,2014).Reassessingtheelearningstrategyonanannualbasisisparticularly
useful,asitwillhelptokeepabreastoftherapidtechnologicalchangesandstudentexpectations.

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The
BCITELearningStrategy:20122015(Draft)
describesfivestrategicthematicareas
offocus:
1.Qualityteachingandlearningmodels
2.Learnersupport
3.Facultydevelopment
4.Useoftechnology
5.Fundingmodels
Inadditiontotheareasoffocus,thedraftstrategicplanrecommendsthatadministrative
areasareinvolvedindevelopinganelearningvision(2013,p.7),planningforelearningneeds
tobeanongoingprocessinordertokeepupwiththerapidpaceoftechnologicalchange,and
thattheplanningshouldbeintegratedwithbroaderinstitutionalstrategicplanning(2013,
pp.1213).BasedonBCITsoverallstrategicplan,areasofelearningwhicharetargetedfor
improvementanddevelopmentaretheapplicationofinnovativeinstructionalmethodsand
educationaltechnologies,increasingconnectivitytomeetstudentexpectations,provisionof
modernlearningspacesandaccesstoavirtualBCIT,facilityandcampusinfrastructuresupports
theeducationaltechnologiesandthemannerinwhichBCITteachesandtheirstudentslearn,and
toincreaseinternationalstudentenrollment(oftenviatheavailabilityofonlinecoursesand
programs)(BCIT,Stratplan,pp.1415,18).Giventhechangingenvironment,andcontinuously
changingtechnologiesandadoptionofemergingtechnologies,BCITsstrategicapproach
emphasizesadaptability,flexibilityandthefrequentreassessmentofgoals.
CriticalAnalysisofBCITElearningStrategicPlan

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FlexibilityinLearningandStudentsEngagement
Flexibilityinelearningreferstothestudentsabilitytohavecontrolandworkwithinthe
frameworkofLMSthattheinstitutionutilizes.Flexibilityisvitalforstudentsinordertoensure
successandindependence.Itisakeycharacteristicofeffectiveelearning,asitpromotes
studentsinteractionandthinking(Bates,2001).Itbecamewellknownthatstudentsenrolledin
highereducationalreadypossessadequatetechnologicalskillstoenablethemtoparticipatewith
minimaltechnologicalchallenges.
Duringourinitialexplorations,ourgroupconcludedthatBCITisonthecorrectpath
towardstransformingsomeoftheirprogramstowardseffectiveelearningimplementationand
providingtheaccessandflexibilitythatisrequired.However,therearewaysinwhichBCITcan
improveitsaccessibilityandflexibilityforstudentaccess.
AccordingtotheBCITstrategyfortheyears20122015,BCITmustprovideforflexible
accesstoitsprograms,andelearningisakeytoolforachievingthisgoal(BCITStrategy).Itis
apparentthatflexibilityisneededwithintheelearningsystembecauseaccordingtothesame
policythereisanemphasisthatelearningismorethanatechnologicalissueitisabout
transformingeducationtoelearning(Bates,2001).Therefore,BCITneedstoelaboratemoreon
theirunderstandingofthemeaningtheyadoptintheirplanandhowtotransformeducationinto
elearning.Thereisaneedtohaveclearstepsinshowingthestakeholderstheprogressoftheir
plan.AccordingtotheBCITstrategy,therearefiveelementssupportingthemigrationofthe
BCITtoabetterelearninginstitution.Theseelementsare:educationalquality,flexibleaccess,

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collaborationandsharing(bothteachersandstudents),financialsustainabilityandfaculty,and
thestudentsupport(Sinclair,McClaren,&Griffin,2006Susan&Judith).
Afterassessingthesefactorsinourpreviouspapers,wenoticedthattheBCITmeets
thesecriteriabuttherearenoupdatedelaborationsonhowtoperiodicallyreassessthesecriteria.
Inaddition,thereisaneedtoprovideabetterplanonhowtodevelopflexibilityinelearning
morethanjustanaccess(Bates,2001).Accordingtomanyresearchersandtheorists,flexible
learningiscoinedwitheasyaccesstolearningbytechnologyasinanyplace,anytime
(Gundry,2003).Still,elearningismorethananyplaceoranytime,thecontextinelearning
becomescommonlythecenterofmanyresearchersattentionsand,thereisaneedtounderstand
elearningwithinthisvision(Massy&Zemsky,2004).Accordingly,technologyinelearning
shouldbeemployedtoimpliesrethinkingandredesigninglearningandreorganizing
institutions(UBC,ETEC520).WebelievethattheBCIThasaneffectiveelearningsystem
accordingtothecriteriaofelearningreadinesstoolkitthatwepresentedearlier.The
infrastructure,budgeting,facultyandstudentsreadiness,andtheorganizationalsystemareallof
goodqualityandarewellalignedwiththeiradoptedstrategy.However,thereisaneedto
upgradethelibrarydatabasesearchenginetoinclude,recordsforbooks,articles,conference
proceedings,thesesanddissertations,videos,music,images,manuscripts,standards,maps,and
more(Summon,accessedon2015).
Anotherissuehighlightedintherelevantliteratureishowtomakeelearningmore
engagingtherearesomequestionsaccordingtoMoore(2010)thatneedtobeaddressed.For
example,questionssuchas,whydoesthiscoursedeservetoexist?Whatisgoingto

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accomplish?Andwhatarethethingsthatpeopleneedtodointherealworldtoaccomplishtheir
goals?Brainstormtheactivitiesmaketheactivitiesthecoreofwhatyouaredoing(Moor,
2010).Consideringthesekindsofquestionswilldefinitelyhelptheeducationalinstitution
improvetheinstructionaldesignoftheelearningcoursesandengagingstudentsinthelearning
process.
CriticallyAnalyzingOrganizationalCulture,TeacherandStudentEReadiness
Theneedtosupportteachersinanacademicinstituteiswelldocumented,andemphasis
isplacedon,assuringgoodteachingandlearningpracticesthroughanydeliverymode(Hicks,
2014,p.283).BCIThasadequatetechnicalsupportinplace,encouraginginstructors
collaborativelylearnhowtousetechnologyandwhereandhowtogettrainingfromLTCand
ITCdepartments.TheBCITknowledgebasewebsiteisacollaborativeeffortforBCITstaffto
createandstorehelp,andhowtodocumentationforthetechnologyusedtolearn,teach,
communicate,andworkatBCIT.ItalsoincludesITServices,LTC,AVServices,registrars
office,recordsmanagement,andothers.However,theystillneedmoresupportastheseLTCand
ITCdepartmentsarenotproactiveenough.Staffhastogotothedepartmentinordertolearn
thus,moreformaltrainingsessionsaresuggested.Moreover,studentsandstaffneed24/7
support.However,supportisprovidedonlyforlimitedhoursofoperation.Staffalsocomplained
aboutinconsistentsupport(BCITCommons,2012,Estrategy)asafterinitialinquirytechnical
staffdoesnotgeneratenotesforthenextworkingemployee,andthenextworkingemployeeis
unawareoftheoriginalinquiry,whichmakestheprocesslessuserfriendly.

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Furthermore,facultiesarenotabletocollaborateenoughintermsofinstructionaldesign
atinterandintraschoolandprogramlevel.Facultysuggestedaneedtohavealearningobject
repositorywheretheycaneasilysharetheirresources(BatesandSangra,2011).However,while
consideringthisrecommendation,wealsohavetoconsiderthecommentprovidedbyBates,
wherehestatesthatprofessorswhoarenottrainedenoughtakegreatdealoftimeinlearning
howtousetechnologyandtheproductisoftenofpoorqualityandidiosyncratic(2001,p.86).
Hence,thispoorqualityproductcannotbesharedwithotherprofessors(Bates,2001).More
formalizedtrainingsessions,andthen,communicationandcollaborationamongbothteachers
andstudentsacrossprogramsandschoolsisneededonasharedcommonplatform(Sinclair,
McClaren,&Griffin,2006Susan&Judith).Besidesthis,teachingstaffcomplainaboutlackof
timetoinnovatetheirteachingandsuggestedmoreprofessionaldevelopmentactivities.
Moreover,facultysuggestedchangeinIPpoliciesandremovingcurrentpolicybarrierstopermit
moreinnovationsinclassrooms.Facultyunderstandstherequiredbalancebetweenconsistency
andflexibility(Bates,2001).However,theystillfeeltheneedofmoreteachingalternativesas
onesizedoesntfitall.Thepossiblereasonwhyalltheseissuesareleftunattendedmightbe
duringconsultations,FTF,andblendedmodesoflearningaregettinglessattention,andthe
discussionismorefocusedononlinelearning.Thisinformationhasnotbeenupdatedonthe
BCITwebsitesince2012.Thereisapossibilitytoseeimprovementsbynow.
LackofElasticityinInstructionalandAssessmentApproachinBCITELearningDesign
BCITdoesnotconsidervariouspedagogicalapproachesintheirgoalssuchas
constructivism,behaviorism,andcognitivismintheirgoals(2012).Basedonthesepragmatic

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pedagogicalapproaches,studentsneedvariousformsofexpressionbasedontheirintellect,
skills,andlearningstyles(Aragon,Johnson,&Shaik,2000).Thus,blendedmodesshould
addresstheneedsofthelearnerandchangetheblendaccordingly.HoldenandWestfall(2006),
intheirinstructionalmediaselectionguide,suggestcrucialinstructionalstrategiessuchas
narrationanddescription,lecture,demonstration,roleplaying,guideddiscussion,simulation,
illustration,imagery,modeling,brainstorming,casestudy,drill,andpractice.TheBCITwebsite
providesanevidenceofalmostalloftheinstructionaltoolsprovidedinthelisthowever,thereis
lackofevidencethattheseinstructionalstrategiesareusedeffectivelyineachandeverymodeof
elearning.Moreover,facultysuggestedgettingmorehelpandcollaborationininstructional
design(BCITCommons,2012,Estrategy).Thus,itisourrecommendationthat,BCITshould
providespecializedtrainingandevaluationtoolstotheinstructorssothattheycanselect
instructionaltoolsbasedon:thecomplexityofcontent,rateofcontentchange,level,anddomain
(cognitive,affective,psychomotor)oflearningobjectives,deliveryissues(audiencesize&
distribution),cost,inhouseversusoutsourcingavailabilityofexistinginfrastructure),delivery
(hardwareendpoints,videoteleconferencingequipment,satellitereceivers,WAN/LAN
system/connectivity,TV/monitor,displaydevices,servers/computers,portability(smartphones,
DVDplayers)etc.(Holden&Westfall,2006,p.13Bates,2001,p.10Sinclair,McClaren&
Griffin,2006).AlongwithLTCstaff,graduatestudentswhohaveHTMLmarkupknowledge
canalsosupportthetechnicalstaffofLTCincreationandapplicationofeducationalmaterials
andprogramstosavecostandifLTCstaffisnotenoughtotraintheinstructorsintechnology
(Bates,2001,p.38).

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Inaddition,Dietel,Herman,andKnuth(1991)defineassessmentasanymethodusedto
betterunderstandthecurrentknowledgethatastudentpossessesnotonlytraditionalmethodof
givingstudentsgradedquizzes,writtenassignments,surveys,andchecklists.Hence,onewayof
achievingthisistoprovidevariousassessmentandlearningoptionstopickfrom.Onesuch
examplecanbeprovidingvariousqualityandengagingchoicesforsummativeassessmentsuch
aseportfolio,videoportfolio,aYouTubechannel,andothers.Studentscanbemoreengaged
throughouttheassessmentprocessandpreparedforthereallifeemployment.Accordingto
Kuliekeet.al.(1990)[a]ssessmentperformancesaredaytodayactivitiesthatcanalsobe
authenticandengagingdemonstrationsofstudentsabilitiestograpplewiththecentral
challengesofadisciplineinreallifecontexts(p.2).Moreover,ChenandLin(2014)alsostate
thatthequalitylearningresourcesthateffectivelysupportelearningandpresenttremendous
potentialforusearenecessaryforelearning(p.92).Today,studentsdonotneedonlycontent
knowledgetheyneedtobetechnicalexpertsaswell,because,evenindevelopingcountries,
thereisahighdemandoftechnicalexpertise(Bates2001).
CriticalAssessmentofMajorSynchronousandAsynchronousElearningModesof
Learning
LMSDiscussionBoards
Learningmanagementsystem(LMS)baseddiscussionboardspreservethediscussionsto
beusedlater,enablingflexibleuseoftime,helptokeeptrackofstudentparticipation,andkeep
thediscussionfocused.TheuseofonlinediscussionsinBCITsBlackboardorDesire2Learn
(D2L)elearningplatforms,permitformoretimetothinkandreflectontheissuebeing
discussedascomparedtoinstantmessaging(Hancock&Wong,2011).However,atthesame

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time,beinganasynchronousmodeofcommunication,itslowsdowntheoveralldiscussion
process.Instructorsneedpropertrainingtomoderatetheasynchronousdiscussiontomakethem
livelyandengaging(Hancock&Wong,2011).Moreover,safecloudbasedinstantmessaging
appscanbeusedalongsidethediscussionboardtoovercometheseproblems.Immediate
feedbackandsynchronousgroupchatforgroupworkanaffordanceofinstantmessaging
services.Telegramissuchasafeandcloudbasedinstantmessagingservice,where,userscan
attachdocuments,images,andvideosandsendittolargegrouppeoplesimultaneously.
However,teachersandstudentscannotreadthefacialexpressioninD2Ldiscussionandinstant
messaging,especiallyinfullyonlinecourses,whichcanbesolvedbyvideopodcastsandweb
conferencingtools(Hancock&Wong,2011).
Podcasting
Podcastingprovidesrelativelyinexpensiveaudioandvideolessonsorlecturesonan
onlineplatform.Studentsinblendedoronlineprogramshaveanytimeanywhereaccesstothese
podcasts.BCITsLTCdepartmentprovidestrainingtobothallclientsonhowtoutilizethistool.
Despitetheirbenefits,podcastsrequireconsiderabletimeandskilltodevelop.Instructorshave
complainedthatsufficienttimetodevelopwasnotprovided.Hence,itispossiblethatnotall
teachersarecreatingpodcastsonaregularbasis.Thissituationmayleadtoinconsistencyin
learningenvironmentinoneclassroomaswellasatinstitutionlevel.
Moreover,evenwhenusedeffectively,ascomparedtobooks,learnerscannotskimthe
contentprovidedinpodcastswhenrevisingthecontentbeforetheexams.Itisoftenmost
effectivewhenaccompaniedwithothermedia,suchasprintedtext&graphics,oronline

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collaborationtools(Holden&Westfall,2006,p.21Sinclair,McClaren&Griffin,2006Susan
&Judith).WerecommendthatBCITsLTCdepartmentemphasizethismultimediaapproachto
theuseofpodcastsandprovidetrainingandresourcesforfacultytoenablethis.Analternative
approachtothisissueistheuseofelearningauthoringsoftwaresuchas,ArticulateStoryline.
Thiscouldallowsmallerandmorefrequentaudioclipstobeincludedoncontentpages,which
canbeaccessedviaatableofcontentsorbackandforwardarrowstomovethroughthemixed
mediacontent.
WebConferencing
Synchronousonlinelearning,typicallyreferredtoaswebconferencing,consistsof
synchronouslearning,virtualclassrooms,emeetings,webinars,andwebcasts.Inthislearning
mode,learnersusetheirdevicessuchasdesktop,laptops,mobiles,andipadstolistentothe
audioorattendthevideosessionstoreceivethecontentusuallyintheformofPowerPoint
presentation.Recommendedinstructionalstrategiesforwebconferencingare
narration/description,guideddiscussion,simulation,casestudydemonstrationandillustration
(HoldenandWestfall,2006).
Studentsandteacherscanrecordthewebconferencetoviewitlater.InBCIT,
BlackboardCollaborate:DesktopConferencingfromwithinD2Lisavailableforvideo
seminars.Thisutilityisusedforguestpresenters,instructorlectures,interactivepresentations,
tutorialdropintypesessions,brainstormingsessions,topicoverview,summarytypesessions,
recordingofpresentations,orforarchivalpurposes.Thesesessionsallowonlyauthorizedpeople
tosignin,butinstructorscanallowtheaccesstoexternalparticipants.Participantscaninteract

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viachat(privateandpublic),emoticons,raisehand(tospeak),andpollingoptions.Participants
canalsomarkupthescreen.Thistoolhelpslearnerstogetinstantfeedback,fostersasenseof
learningcommunity,instructorcancheckforunderstandingandstudentscanadapttothe
instructioneasily.Studenttimeissavedastheydonothavetotraveltotheinstitute,thusthisis
thebesttoolforinternationalstudents,providedtheyhavetheproperbandwidthtoattendthese
sessions.However,inordertoplanthesesessions,instructorsneedspecificskillstoprovide
onlineinstructionsuchasbasictrainingtoovercometechnologicalproblems,designingthe
learningenvironmenttokeepthestudentsmotivatedandengaged.EducationalTechnology
Services(ETS)providetechnicalsupportforwebconferences.Furthermore,thistoolseemsto
beexpensivemodeofinstruction,asinBCIT,avendorhostswebconferencingservices.
Institutepaysonausagebasis(payperuse)orforafixedfee(payperseat).Somevendors
chargesetupfeesaswell.Hence,thismodeofinstructionseemstobelesspopularineveryday
processesofelearninginBCIT.Thus,videoconferencingisbestforsmallnumberof
participants(HoldenandWestfall,2006)
Summary
BCITisaschoolthattrulyembracesthenotionofelearningandisattheforefrontof
fieldandhighlyreadytouseiteffectively.Theschoolhasdevelopedanorganizationalculture,
whichsupportselearning.IthasdeployedLMSandotherinfrastructuresystems,anddeveloped
resources,policiesandprocesstoensurethatstudentsandfacultythatarereadytouse
technologyeffectively.However,asmentionedinthispaperpreviously,thisdoesnotimplythat
iswithoutweaknesses.

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WehavedeterminedsomeareasinwhichBCITcancontinuetoreflectandworkin
effortstodevelopastrongerandmoreeffectiveeleaningstrategy.BCITcouldimprove
elearningimplementationbyincreasingstudentandfacultyhelpdesksupport,providingfaculty
traininginthepedagogicalaspectsofcoursedesign,andtheuseofawiderrangeofeducational
technologiestools,aswellasothersuggestionswehavealreadymentionedinthispaper.Aswe
haveexploredinthisprogram,technologyisaneverdevelopingandexponentiallygrowing
mediumthatchangesdailyandinstitutionsmustcontinuetobevigilantandreflectiveontheir
application.Asmentionedpreviously,whileBCITrateshighlyinourassessmentofelearning
readiness,thereareareaswhereimprovementwillensurethattheschoolandstudentsare
equippedto,respectively,provideandreceivethebestelearningexperience.

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