abstract
the deakin learning toolkit (dtl) is an innovation that provides students and staff with the tools, skills and information to participate fully in the university’s online learning community. now in its third year, it has demonstrable value and impact and has been enthusiastically adopted within the university (and copied by other universities). in 1998 it won the vice-chancellor’s award for outstanding support services.
physically, the dlt is a cd-rom, which operates like a web browser, containing information, training programs and software. it is a resource to orient students to deakin and its online environment and services, to provide them with the tools (including learning resources and software) they need to work in that learning environment, to teach them how to use the tools and services that are available and to lead them from the cd-rom to the online world of deakin university.
keywords
deakin university; deakin learning toolkit; distance education students; off-campus students; online learning; online services; library services; student services; information technology services; student support
1. introduction
deakin university is a metropolitan and regionally based university with six campuses in the australian state of victoria. its 2000 student population totalled 28,192 people, with 13,661 studying on-campus, 12,110 studying off-campus and a further 2,421 in mixed on and off-campus mode. in addition, a further 40,000 students study through the university’s commercial arm, deakin australia, which provides training and higher education opportunities to staff of corporations and government departments and to members of professional associations. since its inception, deakin university has been renowned for its excellent distance education programs, providing higher education opportunities to people who, for reasons of remoteness or inability to attend traditional on-campus universities, chose to study remotely. the student population is drawn principally from victoria, but also from other parts of australia and overseas. students have a choice of enrolling as on-campus students, distance education students, or in a combination of on and off-campus mode. in recent years, deakin university, along with many other universities in australia and overseas, increased its enrolment of overseas students who study in their home country.
deakin university is committed to providing students with a quality education that is delivered to them when, where and how the student desires. this involves a greater degree of choice for students, who may elect to enrol in units that are taught face-to-face, via a video-link, through computer mediated instruction, through print, audio and video learning resources, or a combination of technologies and styles.
2. what is the deakin learning toolkit?
the dlt, first produced in 1998 with an annual edition since, is a cd-rom that is distributed to all deakin university students and staff for use on their private computers. it is mailed to all off-campus students and staff, together with a printed information booklet, and is distributed on campus during enrolment, orientation and training sessions, in computer laboratories, and at information technology services division desks, libraries and student union offices at each campus. it is a resource to orient students (and staff) to deakin university and its online environment and services, to provide them with tools (including learning resources and software) they need to work in that environment, to teach them how to use the tools and services that are available and to lead them from the cd-rom to the online world at deakin university.
from a technical perspective, the dlt may be used on both windows and macintosh computers. users access the contents of the dlt through a browser either from one already installed on the personal computer or, if no web browser is detected on loading the cd-rom, from netscape communicator on the dlt itself. the cd-rom is designed to run automatically when placed in the cd drive of a computer.
the dlt is divided into seven sections: welcome, connect, software, faculties, library, services and courses. with the browser interface, it is easy to navigate and, if the user is connected to a computer network, provides the added bonus of linking to live internet resources, either within the deakin domain or elsewhere, that have been listed in the dlt. “the dlt also acts as a portal into the deakin and external internet web sites with links to relevant web pages if the student is using the dlt whilst connected to the internet.”[i] for those who do not have internet access, advice on internet service providers is given, thus encouraging students to take advantage of the online teaching, learning and support services available through deakin university.
3. rationale
deakin university has been a leader in the innovative use of technology to support students. its first course that required computer communication was in 1981. all students have been given email access and accounts since 1987. it has been progressively enhancing its student interface to computer-assisted learning since 1990 and the dlt is the most recent enhancement of these user-friendly interfaces. throughout these developments, deakin has been guided by knowledge of the circumstances of its students while using the best available technology. accessibility and ease of use are guiding principles.
the university prepares students for their careers with programs that are innovative, responsive to student needs and flexibly delivered. the changing nature of its programs and its increasing use of technology reflect deakin’s commitment to meet the constantly changing needs of its students and other clients, and to help them learn wherever in the world they may be.
the flexible delivery of high-quality programsrequires that students have access to rich learning environments. this includes high-quality learning resources, the opportunity to engage actively with staff and other students in a variety of educational (and social) purposes, and easy access to training and support services.
providing an online environment comprising resources and services for learning and learning support is a priority for all universities. ensuring that students (and staff) make use of it, and are comfortable and confidents in this environment, is a challenge that most are struggling to meet. the dlt has been an outstanding success helping people learn at deakin university.
4. why the deakin learning toolkit?
all universities now have websites. most universities simply invite their students to log on and take advantage of the services on offer. however, the dlt allows students to familiarise themselves with deakin’s web environment and resources without the anxiety and cost of doing so using online connections. it also provides them with essential information and learning resources that can be used offline.
in today’s world, the following are important factors:
§ most students have been using computers for some time and have developed basic skills. fewer, however, have long experience with modems and the internet. many need assistance to get online and to use online tools.
§ few people accessing the university’s network from outside have high-speed access that enables them to connect and download quickly. furthermore, internet connections typically are charged in terms of time online. to keep costs to students at a minimum, deakin university has reduced the amount of time students need to spend online. reading and downloading information, undertaking online training, working on computer-based learning programs and downloading software are all time-consuming and consequently potentially expensive for a student.
§ with different versions of software available, it is important to ensure that all members of the university have access to a version that works with the university’s systems and software.
5. features of the deakin learning toolkit 2000
dtl software
the original purpose of the dlt was to deliver a suite of software to students to facilitate their study at deakin. it now provides all the software required for a student to access deakin’s online support services. some of the applications are freely available for download on the web; others the university has licensed for staff and student use. included are:
§ netscape communicator for web browsing and internet access;
§ eudora for email;
§ adobe acrobat reader to view pdf documents;
§ firstclass for computer conferencing;
§ web/win/macspirs for providing library database access;
§ an “electronic forms” section enabling the submission of library requests; via the web or by email through eudora;§ a commercial typing tutor program (etext);
§ star office (a microsoft office look-alike); and
§ endnote for creating and maintaining academic bibliographies.
in total, 25 general and 10 faculty-specific software programs are packaged on the dlt for student installation and use. manuals and guides are provided on the dlt in pdf format.
dtl information and training
information and training on the dtl assists students in determining university policies and in effectively using academic support services and facilities. included are:
§ web browser-accessible undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks;
§ information about faculties and the divisions that provide academic support services and administration;
§ a tutorial on using the internet for academic research purposes;
§ a tutorial on using endnote to develop and maintain bibliographies;
§ a tutorial on using software on the dlt to access online publications and databases; and
§ discipline-specific subject guides developed by the university library.
more online tutorials are being developed and these will also be made available on future versions of the dtl.
dlt learning resources
faculties have chosen the dlt as a practical, efficient and cost-effective way to distribute computer-based learning programs and other software required in their courses. examples include:
§ the psychology electronic warehouse, which consists of twenty online workshops, each addressing a theoretical issue and presented as a research problem;
§ computer-based learning programs for accounting;
§ presentation software required by students in the faculty of education.
dlt access to services
the dlt acts as an introduction to and a portal for deakin and off-campus websites, with hot links to:
§ library services including an online help desk, indexing and abstracting services, and access to an increasing number of electronic full-text journals;
§ online health services information and access;
§ online study guides and study skills development services;
§ job ready career ready (an online, self-paced career development program) and other web-accessible career development services; and
§ computer conferencing to support a wide range of student, chaplain and university-initiated virtual learning community development services.
adding value to dlt services
to complement and enhance the services provided on and through the dlt, the university also makes available to students:
§ a 24-hour by 7-day-a-week telephone student help desk, providing all students with the free assistance they need to take full advantage of the access provided through the dlt to deakin’s wide range of online services;
§ a world’s best practice off-campus library service that delivers hard copy and electronic library resources to a student’s home regardless of where they live;
§ a library telephone service to complement web and email services;
§ a print and cd-audio examination preparation kit;
§ a series of study skills videotapes;
§ a videotape tutorial on making use of the dlt and the university’s other online services; and
§ a series of face-to-face information technology skills workshops for on-campus students making use of the dlt for home access.
support services continue to provide face-to-face service. however, in order to meet the needs of everyone, this easy to use, easy to access suite of tools and services capitalises on digital technology to deliver support services irrespective of time and place. other means are employed for both on and off-campus students, but the university is committed to making increasing use of technologically mediated solutions as a means of enhancing services to both groups in an efficient and effective way.
6. equity and access issues
the dlt is provided free of charge to all students and staff. the university pays the license fees for commercial software that is included on the dlt.
to minimise the amount of time a student needs to spend online, the dlt provides:
§ software that can be downloaded from the cd-rom rather than from the university website;
§ tutorials on the use of software, reducing the need for outside help;
§ information about faculties, services, courses and policies, including the university handbooks;
§ direct links via urls to university faculties and services and to additional resources on the university’s website, reducing the need for online searching.
the dlt provides computer-aided learning programs and other course-specific software, enabling students on and off-campus to benefit from the university’s efforts to cater for different learning styles, levels of ability and prior experience.
the library has made extensive use of the dlt to deliver detailed information on library services and tutorials in the use of library services, including the catalogue and many reference and abstracting tools. [ii]
7. conclusion
a huge benefit of the dlt is that it provides a wealth of resources and information for remote learners without the cost of telecommunications. students (and staff) can explore the contents of the dlt at their leisure, and only make the communication connections when they are ready to access information via the internet.
the online communication facilities enable students to use email or computer conferencing to facilitate learning and social discourse. this reduces the isolation of students who do not attend the campus fulltime. these forms of communication help the university to fulfil its commitment to develop communication and teamwork skills as attributes of deakin graduates.
there are significant advantages in being able to deliver tutorials to users when they need the training, rather than when staff are conducting classes.
with each version of the dlt, the content and interface has improved. it provides all students with the standard suite of software that is required for effective online access and online learning opportunities at deakin. the increasing use of the dlt has resulted in fewer calls to the information technology services division help desk for assistance in accessing or loading software, thus reducing the cost of these services.
from the library’s perspective, there has been very positive feedback about the resources on the dlt and the ease of accessing services. there is a degree of certainty that the majority of students, who have computers at home or work, will be able to use the electronic resources of the library. this is an important factor when considering the cost of licensing electronic information resources and the proportion of deakin students who are unlikely to come on-campus to use the library’s collections in person. as a result, the library maximises use of expensive information resources and off-campus students are more empowered to take control of their own learning and research.
the division of student life has increased its outreach to off-campus students by delivering a range of services and public computer conferences to enable them to participate in aspects of university life that otherwise would only have been available on campus.
it is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. deakin university was the first to produce a cd-rom toolkit for students and there has been considerable australian and international interest in the dlt since it was first showcased. at least one university has requested permission to use the content of the dlt produced by deakin university, with due acknowledgement of course, and many others have requested information on costs, how to gain internal support to use the cd format for delivering services, and other technical and legal issues. it is understood that a number of other australian universities are going to produce a cd-rom, similar to the dlt concept.
deakin university was awarded australian university of the year in 1995 for its use of technology to support undergraduate students, and again in 1999 for its innovative partnerships with industry. the dlt is an example of both technical innovation and creative partnerships.
[i] addie, jenny and hellyer, margo, “taking it to the streets: the deakin learning toolkit”, in educause in australasia conference proceedings, sydney, 18-21 april 1999.
[ii] for more details, see mcknight, s. 2000, "delivering library services to remote users: the deakin learning toolkit", in libraries without walls 3 : the delivery of library services to distant users ed. by peter brophy, shelagh fisher and zoe clarke, library association publishing, london, pp.175-182.
