5. TEST DRIVE OF THE LEARNING SPACE

5.1 THE COURSE NETRO IN MAY 2003

Because Netro is a novel web-based module, which is not based on any other particular web-based learning platform or environment, we wanted to test the module in practice. As has already been discussed, the goal of Netro is in collaborative knowledge building and raising awareness on the topic web literacy. Thus, when testing the module our interest was naturally both on the actual electronic learning environment as a functional unit, as well as on the passengers' awareness of the concept of web literacy. We wanted to find out how the passengers would understand the concept of web literacy before Netro, and whether there were any changes in their perceptions after travelling through the Netro Path.

The context for testing Netro

Testing Netro took place at the Jyväskylä University Language Centre in 2003. We had originally planned to test Netro as an integral part of a compulsory academic reading course in the English language. However, because of the project of building the learning space was prolonged we needed to separate the module from the course. As a result, Netro became an independent optional language course which took place during summer term 2003, to be more specific, in May 2003 under the course code and the name XYH017 Netro - verkkolukutaito.

The only prerequisite for the course was that you needed to have taken a basic academic level course in English, i.e. one of the XEN**1 Text Workshop - Academic reading and terminology courses. This we chose to include to the requirements since we felt that in order to be able to complete the various reading tasks in Netro, the passengers should have the basic knowledge and skills in reading strategies as well as in English, for the web material and example pages used in Netro are in English.

Our original goal was to get 12 student passengers from various fields of studies to prevent the groups from becoming too big as well as to make sure that we tutors could easily follow the discussions taking place in Netro. From twelve students we could have formed the ideal four groups of three students. After the search process for volunteer students the test group became to consist of 13 passengers from various backgrounds and fields of studies. The group was formed with the help of an electronic advert on the Language Centre web pages and an e-mail to the university students' mailing lists. At first, the course was advertised in the summer courses section on the web pages of the Language Centre. We published an independent advertisement on the pages two weeks before the course was supposed to begin.

As a result of the web advertisement, four students registered for the course. Due to the small amount of those registered, we decided to post an additional announcement of the course to the posting lists of different student associations at the university. The announcement resulted in dozens of applications. The total number of participants being twelve, eight students were selected in addition to those four registered before. Students were selected in order of registration, yet students who were not able to attend the first face-to-face meeting were not accepted. In addition to those students who applied on the course more independently, there was a group of four students from a specific language learning technology programme who were asked to take part on the course. In regard to the major subjects of the students, the Netro group became quite heterogeneous. The group consisted of students studying Languages, Sociology, Political science, Education, Musicology, Marketing, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Information systems science and Computer science.

The course structure

To illustrate the overall course structure there were two face-to-face meetings, in between which the passengers worked on-line on the Internet, in the electronic learning space (Figure 19). During the both face-to-face meetings passengers filled in forms with which we wished to gain insight into their conceptions of the concept of web literacy. In the following we will give a more detailed report of the course.

Figure 19. The structure of the test drive course in May 2003

The first F2F -meeting

As was already said, the course began on May 29th, with a face-to-face meeting at a university computer studio in Agora. The aim of the first meeting was to form the Netro passenger group, to get to know one and other as well as to give the passengers the support needed in beginning to study on-line in such an electronic space as Netro. In Salmon's (2000, 2002b) steps, this meeting is parallel with the first stage for on-line learning, that of access and motivation.

The first meeting included few "ice-breakers" and the passengers had a chance to see and get to know the other passengers with whom they would soon work only on-line. The course itself and the learning space were also introduced to the passengers.

In order to gain insight on the passengers conceptions of web literacy before actually looking at the learning space, the passengers were asked to fill in a form in which we asked about their conceptions of web literacy and the course at hand. This so-called pre-Netro form, which the passengers answered during the first meeting, consisted of open-ended questions on three different perspective on web literacy. We asked about the passengers' views of the aims and contents of a course carrying the name web literacy, the passengers' understanding of the concept web literacy, and their own relation and attitude towards web literacy, i.e. how web literate the passengers' see themselves (see Form A).

The form functioned as a tool for us tutors of the course, for we needed to learn about the passengers' preconceptions of web literacy in order to be able to see whether the learning space supports the kind of collaborative knowledge building we planned it to support. Then again, with the help of the form, we directed the passengers' attention to the subject matter of the course and hopefully helped them to orientate themselves towards the future tasks. Thus, it activated the passengers' prior knowledge and conceptions on web literacy as well as informed us tutors of their expectations concerning the course.

After filling in the forms, we finally introduced the passengers with the actual learning space with the help of a data projector. The passengers were given a description of the three-fold structure and the logic behind the module, the terminology used, and the technical requirements for using the module, as well as instructions for working and proceeding in the module. In addition, the core idea of the module, as well as the criteria for grading the course were explained to the passengers.

Only after this introduction were the passengers allowed to enter the learning space and start working in their own pace with the first two Phases of the Path. Because we could not be certain of the level of web literacy the passengers were on, we wanted to make sure that all the passengers could actually manage the use of the discussion forum, in which the logs and the discussion topics were located. The two Phases give a detailed description of the structure and the pedagogical idea of Netro, allow the passengers to create a personal profile of themselves through which the members can get to know more of each other, as well as guides the passengers to practise the use of the discussion forums and the Logs. (For a detailed description of the Phases, see ch 4.4.3). We encouraged the passengers to carefully fill in the electronic form through which they created their personal profile, and emphasised the importance of the profile in future tasks, as well as advised them in registering to the Stop.

The final task of the face-to-face meeting was the forming of the Netro groups in which some of the tasks would take place. The passengers were given the freedom to form the three groups of three members by themselves. The groups were then given the passwords to the group specific forums, and advised to use the forum for planning the group tasks. At the very end of the meeting, we once more went through the schedule of the course, and agreed on the time of the final face-to-face meeting.

To give the readers of this work an honest account on the events and to make them prepare for the possible complications we want to mention that the first face-to-face meeting was shortened as we encountered some technical problems. The server where the discussion forum was located suddenly collapsed, luckily, every passenger managed to register to the forum, and create his/her Netro-profile before this happened.

Distance learning phase

From the first meeting onwards, the course went on for four weeks. During the distance phase the Netro passengers travelled through the Netro Path by working on-line and completing the tasks in the learning space. The passengers were guided to travel through two Phases a week. This schedule was necessary due to the collaborative nature of many of the tasks, such as discussion tasks and some of the reflective log tasks where the passengers were supposed to read each others' answers on certain tasks. With the individual tasks, such as the log reflection tasks and the voting and writing tasks situated on the Path, the passengers were allowed to proceed in their own pace, even though the ideal pace was presented in the learning space.

Our role during the pilot was to act as tutors, advisors and readers of the work done. We encouraged the passengers to communicate and confront us via the cafe forum on the Stop, instead of using the e-mail, in order for all the passengers to be able to see the questions or comments. As tutors, we acted through the character of Tuomas, the virtual Netro guide. Tuomas advised the passengers in various questions and problems concerning the tasks and the functioning of the environment, and reminded them on the schedule and the ongoing tasks. In addition, we constantly followed the discussions, logs and the different tasks on the Path. Our choice was, however, not to interfere in the discussions, nor did we comment on writing on the logs, since we wanted to keep the work as independent and self-reflective as possible.

The second F2F -meeting

The pilot was finished on June 7th, in a seminar-like face-to-face meeting during which we went through the group tasks, the final works of the groups, as well as asked the passengers to fill in the post-Netro forms, with which we wanted to see what kinds of answers the passengers give to the web literacy related questions after taking the course.

As the passengers seemed to be in a hurry completing the tasks there was a need to continue the on-line discussion in the face-to-face meeting. This is the reason for beginning the meeting by spending a while on the group tasks and their outputs, i.e the digital photograph task and the text production task. We gave each group the chance to present their working process and explain the outcome of the task, and the other groups then were able to comment and ask questions about the work of the group. Then, the groups presented their final course works. They were asked to state the reasons for selecting their topic and the mode of the output, describe their working process and present the contents of their work. Again, the rest of the group had the chance to ask questions, and the contents and the value of the work for future Netro users were discussed.

At the end of the meeting, we gave the passengers the change to read their pre-Netro answers to which we had attached another form in which we asked whether their views on web literacy related questions had changed during the process. By giving the passengers the chance to have a look at the answers they had given in the first meeting we wanted them to recall the thoughts, opinions and even feelings they had before the course.

This second form, the so-called post-Netro form was designed on the basis of the first form, and included questions on four web literacy related perspectives: how the contents of the course related to the passengers' preconceptions, whether and how their understanding about the concept of web literacy had changed during the course, what they thought about the importance of web literacy, and whether and how their own relationship to web literacy had changed during the course. (See Form B.)

At the end of the meeting, the passengers were also asked to fill an electronic form in which we asked questions about the general functioning of the module, the passengers preferences on the different types of tasks, the amount of time spent on the module, the succeeding of the discussions, using the Bank and the functioning of group work. Although the focus of the course was on raising the passengers' awareness on the concept of web literacy, there was a natural need to get information of the module as a functional unit, as well as the organisation of the course itself for possible future development.

Next, we will focus on the pre- and post-Netro forms in more detail, and report the Netro passengers' comments on the various web literacy related issues.