Net-learning across the Atlantic Sea

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Net-learning across the Atlantic Sea
Claus Holm
5th International ALN Conference

• Assistant Professor Claus Holm, Ph.D.
• Department of Accounting,
• The Aarhus School of Business,
• Denmark

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Geographical trivia
5th International ALN Conference

• Denmark
• Located in northern Europe, between the North Sea
  and the Baltic (Part of Scandinavia)
• Population 5.3 mill
• No one in Denmark is more than 30 miles from the
  sea
• Århus (Aarhus)
• Located at the east-coast of the Danish peninsula
  above Germany
• Population 350,000
• Students 65,000
• ASB-students 6,000

• The Faroe Islands
• Located at the heart of the Golf Stream in the
  North Atlantic Sea
• Self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark
• Population 45,000
• Main City Torshavn
• Own language, Danish as second language

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Higher Diploma in Accounting at ASB
5th International ALN Conference

• Specialized accounting program
• 2 years
• Part time college degree
• 4 years in total
• 5/6 of students
• Continuing Education
• 1/6 of students takes individual courses
• Prerequisites
• HD1 (First half)
• Minimum 2 years fulltime business experience

• Two semester academic year
• 6 courses/ 7 exams
• 2 seminars with written projects
• 1 written thesis

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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HD in Accounting 1996-1998
5th International ALN Conference

• 70-100 Students from Denmark
• Lecturers at ASB
• Administration at ASB
• 12 students from the Faroe Islands
• One local lecturer
• One distance lecturer
• One moderator
• One administrative contact
• One .

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Analytical learning approach at ASB
5th International ALN Conference

• Face to Face teaching
• Two nights pr week for 15 weeks (semester)
• Student responsibility for own learning
• Primarily individually based
• Attendance in class is not compulsory
• Exams
• Written problem oriented
• Placed at the end of semesters
• No mid-term exams or tests during the semester
• Seminars
• Topic defined teamwork around producing a written
  report
• Attendance in class is compulsory

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Flexible learning approach to distance students
5th International ALN Conference

• Asynchronous Learning Network
• Teamdynamics
• Intensive Face to Face sessions
• Seminars on the net
• Online thesis examination
• gt Flexible learning approach

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Asynchronous and Synchronous Activities 1/2
5th International ALN Conference

• Asynchronous Learning Network
• Lotus Notes Databases as structure for learning
  activities
• Activity plans
• Learning objectives
• Suggested exercises
• Discussion forums
• Teamdynamics
• Synchronous Students meet locally once a week
• Asynchronous Netbased discussion forums

• Face to Face teaching
• Two courses taught by local lecturer with
  traditional face to face approach, but supported
  by ALN
• Synchronous sessions once each semester for
  remaining courses
• Analytical approach
• Overview presentations
• Casediscussions

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Asynchronous and Synchronous Activities 2/2
5th International ALN Conference

• Seminars on the net
• Topic defined teamwork around producing a written
  report
• ALN support through discussion forum
• Supervision
• Teamwork
• Online concluding discussion

• Online thesis examination
• Supervision
• ALN support through discussion forum
• Thesis-defense
• Online Examination
• Real-time internetbased picturelink (low tech,
  low cost)
• ASB examinator and students at the Faroe Islands
• External examinator at ASB

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Student performance
5th International ALN Conference

• Same curriculum
• Same exams
• Same external graders (censors)
• 11 of 12 students took all courses
• GPAs for Faroe vs. Århus
• No difference in 3 of 7 exams
• Higher average in 4 of 7 exams
• No difference on seminars
• Higher average on thesis

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Organizational costs and benefits for ASB
5th International ALN Conference

• Benefits
• Future recruitment
• Student satisfaction high
• Alternative was self-faced learning
• Organizational learning effects
• Pedagogical
• Technical
• Practical
• Higher visibility
• External funding availability
• Costs
• No profitable experience
• Variable costs would have been covered by 14
  students
• Limited lecturer resources
• Maybe better used elsewhere?

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999
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Perspectives for teaching approach at ASB
5th International ALN Conference

• New HD in accounting from fall 1999
• Flexible learning approach for the full HD in
  accounting at ASB
• Integration with virtual library and
  IT-department
• Whole day meetings every second Saturday
• Elaborate activity plans
• Webboard discussion forums
• Teambased approach toward problem solving
• The teacher as moderator and facilitator

• ASB Commitment
• Flexible learning is to be used as a pedagogical
  tool and not as a mean to cut costs
• The aim is a better learning environment for both
  students and lecturers

Department of Accounting, Claus Holm-1999