Towards the Development of a New Model for Best Practice and Knowledge Construction in Virtual Campuses

Abstract

Introduction Over the past decade, eLearning and the development of virtual campuses have evolved and developed at such a rapid rate that they are commonly accepted as an increasingly popular alternative to traditional face-to-face education (Connolly, MacArthur, Stansfield, & McLellan, 2007; Gunawardena & McIsaac, 2004). The demand for higher education is expanding exponentially throughout the world with the majority of Universities now offering an array of eLearning programs and modules to students from a wide range of different backgrounds and geographical locations. Many universities have entered into partnership agreements with other higher education institutions and education authorities to develop virtual universities and campuses in which students can gain access to a range of educational experiences and resources through virtual means. The development of eLearning and virtual campus opportunities can be widely attributed to the changing nature of employment, where a job for life is no longer the norm, and to the arrival of the 'knowledge-driven society'. In this society, information and knowledge spreading and sharing have a great value due to the complexity of situations and phenomena and for the adaptability and flexibility people are asked for. Many authors hypothesized different scenarios and learning contexts for helping people in the development of the right skills and competences; among them Brown, Collins, and Duguid (1989) and Jonassen (1994) have emphasized the need for open-ended exploratory authentic online learning environments in which learners can develop meaningful and transferable knowledge and understanding. Many eLearning developments and virtual university/campus initiatives were hindered by much of the hype and unrealistic expectations that plagued them in the mid-late 1990s. This contributed to the failure of a number of high profile eLearning and virtual campus initiatives across the world (e.g. California Virtual University, Danish Virtual University). If eLearning and virtual campus initiatives are to be sustainable then it is vital that stakeholders understand how new models of teaching and learning transform the institution and how they can be used to enhance knowledge construction, flexibility, and inclusiveness. There is now an emphasis on constructivism as a philosophical, epistemological, and pedagogical approach. Constructivism focuses on knowledge construction, not knowledge reproduction. Many researchers have expressed their hope that constructivism will lead to better educational software and better learning. This has led to the development of constructivist learning environments (CLEs) that guide and support learners to achieve their intended learning outcomes (Cartelli, 2006; Connolly & Stansfield, 2007). The Development of eLearning and Virtual Campuses within the European Union Over the last five years there have been numerous eLearning and virtual campus initiatives and projects that have been co-financed by the European Commission. Despite the many successes and positive outcomes that have arisen from these projects and initiatives, a European Commission workshop held in 2005 to explore the issues associated with virtual campuses highlighted the need for a critical review of existing projects and initiatives (EACEA, 2005). The workshop highlighted a range of issues that affected the successful implementation and deployment of virtual campuses and their long term sustainability. It was felt that virtual campuses generally have very little contact and interoperability with each other due to: * A general lack of awareness about other virtual campuses; * A lack of self-promotion/dissemination by virtual campuses; * Cross-cultural and linguistic barriers to communication. Much of the relevant data, results, conclusions, and recommendations in relation to best practice gathered from numerous virtual campus projects and initiatives are scattered across numerous publications held within a wide range of individual organizations, and in many cases they are not easily accessible to the wider community. …