Summary, Findings, and
Conclusions
|
1.
|
The Education Network of Maine (ENM) began in
1986 when the Board of Trustees of the University
of Maine System and the campus presidents agreed to
implement instructional television as a way to
improve educational access, especially to the
state's rural and placebound residents. From 1986
to 1994 the network was operated by the University
of Maine at Augusta (UMA). In 1995 the Education
Network of Maine was established as a separate
provider of distance learning television services.
In 1997, after this case study had been undertaken,
the ENM was merged into the University of Maine
System Network for Education and Technology
Services (UNET) administratively attached to the
systemwide Chancellor's Office. The data upon which
this report is based are taken from the 1995-96 and
1996-97 academic years.
|
|
2.
|
The initiative to develop the distance learning
network is consistent with the University of Maine
System's mission as "the major instrument of
statewide educational, economic, technological,
social, and cultural advancement." The mission
statement for the ENM is consistent with the
System's mission and is specific in its objective
of using "the synergy of telecommunications,
information, and human resources to bring education
of high quality and affordable cost to the
community, home and the workplace" and "to extend
educational access."
|
|
3.
|
The network's physical plant consists of a fiber
optic network connecting all the campuses of the
University of Maine System augmented by microwave
channels and cable television feeds that virtually
blanket the state. The network center, located on
the Augusta campus, includes four studio classrooms
and satellite up- and down-links. The other
campuses all have at least one fully equipped
studio classroom. The network also operates ten
"centers" where students can participate in the
interactive (one-way video, two-way audio)
instructional television (ITV) and computer based
courses. Approximately 100 additional designated
receive sites at technical colleges, high schools,
and various work locations also are provided some
technical support from the network. In 1996 over
3,200 students were enrolled in network
courses.
|
Benefits:
Learning Outcomes, Course Comparisons, Spring
1996
|
4.
|
Students enrolled in 23 network courses at both
receiving and studio broadcast sites during spring
1996 were surveyed using questions developed by the
Flashlight Project. Responses of students at the
receive sites were generally favorable toward the
courses and the logistical arrangements. The only
statistically significant difference between
broadcast site (students in the TV studio classroom
with the instructor) and receive site student
responses was that broadcast students indicated
they had better access to the library and
bookstore.
|
|
5.
|
Grade data were also compared for these courses.
Analysis was conducted to determine if student
grade performance differed, on average, between
those who were enrolled at broadcast locations and
those at receive sites. A statistically significant
difference in average grades between broadcast and
receive site students (in favor of broadcast site
students) was found in only one course. Of the
remaining 17 courses for which sufficient data were
available to conduct a "t" test, the differences in
average grades were not statistically significant.
It should also be noted, however, that out of the
17 comparisons made, only six courses had a mean
grade difference that favored receive site
students.
|
Learning Outcomes, Course Comparison,
1996-1997
|
6.
|
An introduction to anthropology course was
offered through the Education Network of Maine in
fall 1996 and spring 1997. The fall version of the
course was offered on the network in the regular
ITV format. All of the class sessions were
videotaped. A total of 190 students were enrolled
in the course, some at the live broadcast studio in
Augusta, the rest located at 13 receive sites
throughout the state. A survey was conducted to
determine if there were statistically significant
differences between broadcast and receive site
students with respect to satisfaction with the
course. Of particular note was the finding that
students in the receive sites felt more strongly
than those in the broadcast classroom that the
delivery quality was adequate to allow them to
learn the content. Students at the receive sites
agreed that they would take another course if it
were offered in this mode and that they would
recommend the course to another student. Overall,
receive site students appeared to be more satisfied
with the course than those at the sending site.
|
|
7.
|
During the spring term the same anthropology
course was offered in an asynchronous delivery mode
wherein the videotapes of the fall classes were
used to deliver the course to a group of 50
students at various receive sites. In addition to
viewing the videotapes, students met with the
faculty and other students using a telephone
conferencing system for review sessions. The same
survey used in the fall term was administered to
the students who took the videotape version of the
course during spring term. The fall term receive
site student responses were compared to the
responses of the spring term students (all of whom
were deemed to be at receive sites). There were no
significant differences between the responses of
the students in the live network version and the
videotaped version of the course. Based upon these
survey responses, there is no evidence that receive
site students preferred the live network course
over the videotape version of the same
material.
|
|
8.
|
The implication of this result is that students
are neutral between a live presentation and one
that is provided to them as a set of videotapes. A
similar type of result has been observed in another
study in this series&emdash;the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute case study where respondents
indicated a preference for course materials on
videotape over videoconferencing. If these results
are real, the implication is that the convenience
of the videotapes, which are truly available
anytime, anyplace, and which can be viewed more
than once, makes up for the loss of the live
presentation. Improving "convenience" for students
may not appear to be an important public policy
objective. For adult students with work or family
responsibilities, however, such improvements in
convenience are equivalent to improving "access" to
education, something that is considered to be an
important policy objective.
|
Student Access
|
9.
|
In fall term 1996, there were 3,264 students
enrolled in network courses (approximately 10.6
percent of system enrollment). To provide an
estimate of the effects the convenience of the
network courses may be having upon access, two
groups of students were removed from this total:
687 who were also taking courses on campus - on the
rationale they already have access to a campus, and
567 who were age 22 or less - on the rationale the
youngest students are more mobile and less likely
to have work or family responsibilities. The
adjusted total is 2,010 students, which represents
6.5 percent of system enrollment for whom access
has been improved by the ENM.
|
|
10.
|
An estimate of the systemwide participation rate
for the state's 18-64 population in 1996 suggests
that the availability of network courses has
increased the state's participation rate from 3.33
per cent to 3.59 percent, a relative increase of
over 7 percent (=3.59/3.33).
|
Cost
|
11.
|
Costs were estimated for a course based upon
three alternative modes of delivery: instructional
television, sending instructors to several remote
sites, and on-campus classroom instruction; and for
three different levels of course enrollment: low
demand courses (enrollment of 25), moderate demand
courses (enrollment of 110), and high demand
courses (enrollment of 220).
|
|
12.
|
The "send instructors to remote sites"
alternative has never been proposed as a way to
reach placebound students in remote sites. It is
used here to illustrate the substantial cost
advantage of on-campus instruction (wherein
students come to the instructor) over sending
instructors to students at several remote
sites.
|
|
13.
|
Classroom instruction is the least expensive
mode for low enrollment courses (about 80 percent
less expensive than the alternatives). At current
levels of network utilization (approximately 70
percent), the costs of the moderate enrollment
course are essentially equal for classroom and
network instruction. If network utilization were
closer to capacity, network instruction would be
slightly less expensive than classroom. For high
demand courses, network instruction is less
expensive than classroom instruction (by about 47
percent).
|
|
14.
|
These cost estimates illustrate that network
instruction is subject to scale economies. Because
of the start-up and fixed costs associated with
network courses, they are more expensive than
classroom instruction for courses with relatively
small enrollments. As course enrollments grow,
spreading the fixed costs over a larger and larger
enrollment base, network instruction becomes less
expensive than classroom instruction.
|
|
