Appendix 2

The National Institute for Distance Education in Sweden

Ronny Knutsson

 Use of terms 

At the National Institute for Distance Education (NIDE) we prefer to use two different terms to describe an Opening Learning system. Open Learning refers to the learners’ situation. In some way, one could say that all learning is open because of the fact that learning always happens in an open-minded way: the learner speaks, listens, reads, writes, practises, does laboratory work etc. The learner almost always uses most of his/her senses in the learning process.

The term Open Education refers to what an organization has to do to meet the learner and his/her ‘open-learning’ needs. The questions to be answered are: How do you create an open learning environment for the learner? What kind of teaching-materials do you have to produce to give the learner the possibility to learn in an open way? Are you able to produce teaching-materials for different learning-styles? How will your teachers or tutors act to support the learners? These and more questions have to be answered by an Open Educator.

 Changing status of distance education 

In Sweden, many upper secondary schools and municipal adult education schools want to use distance education as a complement to classroom education for students who cannot be at school. But distance education is also used as a means to solve problems with funding. If so, it can happen that teachers not trained in distance education methods become the only distance education teacher the student will meet. This might happen especially in small communities. In that case it is a risk that the learner will receive bad support from an unskilled teacher. The bad reputation of distance education is a fact in Sweden.

It is therefore important to:

•     See distance education as a complement to class-room education;

•     Produce tailor-made teaching materials for distance education;

•     Train the teacher to be more of a tutor;

•     Administrate distance education in a way that makes it possible for the student to study in his/her own pace and his/her own time;

•     Create and produce instruments for quality checks; and

•     Implement new teacher attitudes and roles.

 Government policy positions 

The government Policy can in short be described as:

•     Supporting the development of a different system for Open Education at all school levels (including adult education);

•     Strengthening the possibility for the individual learner to study subjects and courses based on an individual progression schedule (all subjects in formal education are divided into A-level and B-level, sometimes C-level and for maths in A-, B-, C-, D-, and E-level);

•     Developing a national curriculum for the school-system as a whole;

•     Developing syllabus for all subjects and courses at upper secondary level and formal adult education;

•     Developing national grade criteria for all subjects and courses; and

•     Legislation and ministerial orders.

More information on Government Policies is provided below.

 National/federal educational sturctures/set-up 

The Education System in Sweden is organized as follows:

•     Legislation and funding: Ministry of Education and Science

•     Ministerial orders: Ministry of Education and Science

•     National Curriculum: Ministry of Education and Science

•     Upper Secondary Level programmes, including all subjects and courses: The National Board of Education.

•     Syllabus for different programmes, subjects and courses: The National Board of Education

•     Criteria for grades: The National Board of Education

There are 16 different Upper Secondary Level programmes, and students study for three years. The programmes are as follows:

•     Programme of Social Sciences

•     Programme of Natural Sciences

 

These two programmes above are university preparing and the following are vocational.

 

•       Programme of Health Care

•       The Media Programme

•       Child Care and Recreation Programme

•       Construction Programme

•       Electrical Programme

•       Energy Programme

•       Artistic and Practical Programme

•       Programme for Vehicle Engineering

•       Programme for Commerce and Administration

•       Programme for Crafts

•       Programme for Hotel and Restaurants

•       Industrial Programme

•       Programme for Agriculture and Environment

The compulsory school, upper secondary school, and municipal adult education are managed by local community education committees at the political level and directed by the local government administration. There are only a few national schools, among them the National Institute of Distance Education and special schools for disabled students and minority groups (for example, the School for Laps).

 Partnerships, alliances and networks 

To create the best possibilities for the development of course material, we often collaborate with other state-funded schools, institutes, and organizations. We cooperate with local municipal adult education schools concerning development of course-material. Other teachers than ours sometimes have professional skills that we lack. When we use other teachers for developing questions, they will contribute to increase the level of competence at our organization. We also cooperate with local municipal adult education schools concerning questions of distance examination. For an institute like NIDE, it is a challenge to solve the problem of assessments and examination. We often use written examination combined with telephone for oral tests in language. However, we are also using video conferences more often. This is more difficult to use because the tested student tends to be nervous of the video conference system.

Together with companies and trade unions we develop tailor-made courses and tailor-made course materials and tests. In addition, experts in distance education are networking with us concerning methods in distance education. Networking and partnerships also is a question of using capacity and money as efficiently as possible. Because of that, we often use networking as a means to:

•     Use the best resources, human and technical;

•     Develop course materials;

•     Use money in an efficient way and save money; and

•     Provide in-service training.

 Student profiles and needs 

Our most typical student historically has been a person that has to make up missing requirements for university studies. This means that the student:

•      Will only study one or a few subjects or courses;

•      Is in a hurry to get his/her grade in time for application;

•      Often needs a very high grade, most often 5 on a 1 – 5 graded scale; and

•      Does not require so much tutor support.

 

In the nineties, however, this has changed somewhat. Nowadays, we have students from a variety of backgrounds, and this has changed our role. In particularl, it has required us to provide:

 

•     More time for guidance to avoid dropouts;

•     More time to explain what distance education is like;

•     More time for the teacher to support students without experiences of adult education;

•     More refresher courses;

•     More computer support; and

•     More tests in mathematics and foreign languages.

It is for this relatively poorly educated group that we have developed our study centres, or as we now call them Study Shops. Most of our poorly educated learners have bad memories of their schooling background. Our Study Shop, with its informal way of tutoring learners, takes better care of these people’s life experiences, an important contribution to open learning in adult education.

The greatest problem with this new target group of poorly educated, often unemployed people is that it is really easy to recruit women, but much harder to recruit men. Men want a job or an education that will give him a new, better and/or better paid job. If a programme for education does not provide a man this, he will reject it. This may mean that, in future, women will end up better educated than men. In Swedish newspapers, we sometimes read that ‘The girls are the winners, the men are the losers’.

 Course completion 

All of our courses are completed by examinations, written and/or oral. Learners can choose either to take this examination at NIDE or at a local municipal adult education school. This is good for the student, because it means that s/he does not have to visit NIDE in Norrkoping. It is rather expensive to travel in Sweden, and some students would have to stay overnight, adding to the cost. This will happen when the student does his/her laboratory work in natural sciences close to the examination. Sometimes, students would have to spend several days in Norrkoping.

The advantage of coming to Norrkoping is that the student will meet his/her distance teacher or tutor. They have worked for a long period together with assignments, support, and questions. It is much easier to get a better grade when the ‘real’ teacher meet the student in the examination situation. Therefore, we and the teachers prefer the student to come to Norrkoping to take tests. In this situation, we have full control over the examination situation.

On the other hand, it is sometimes much easier for a student to take his/her examination in his/her home town. When students prefer to take this option, we do not have full control over the examination process. Sometimes, we use video conferences to overcome this problem.The student can do his/her examination when:

•     All course assignments are assessed or corrected;

•     All the laboratory work is done; and

•     The student has enrolled to examination.

 Dropouts 

70% of our students fulfil their studies and take grades. Compared to other system for adult education in Sweden, this is very good. There are not many dropouts, but we received the following answers about why people did not complete their studies:

•     I preferred to study at a local municipal adult education school;

•     I wanted classroom education;

•     I did not like distance education; it was too difficult;

•     I got a job;

•     I did not have enough time;

•     I started a family.

 

With these answers, we are confident that most of our students had rather good reasons to interrupt their studies with NIDE. The only answer that concerns us is ‘I did not like distance education; it was too difficult’. This answer tells us that we have failed in our efforts to give people correct information of what distance education is like. The students expectations of distance education do not agree with our kind of information and guidance.

 

Good and correct information about distance and open education is an important precondition for diminishing or avoiding dropouts.  To avoid drop-outs, we provide the following:

 

•     An offer about participation in introductory courses;

•     A ‘Welcome-letter’ to all beginners;

•     A letter to all students who have been passive for more than three weeks; and

•     A further letter and a telephone call to all students, who have been passive for more than seven weeks.

 Driving forces behind modularization od education 

Our formal education syllabus system does not allow us to divide course into small chunks or modules (components). For example, if you are going to study mathematics, level A, you have to take the whole course and get a grade if you need and if you want. You cannot take a single part and get some sort of certificate for just that part.

This system may suit young learners at upper secondary level quite well, as they are taking a whole programme (see above). However it does not always satisfy the needs of adult learners. There would be pros and cons to changing this situation.

 Advantages of changing curriculum structures 

•     The learner would have the possibility to choose interesting or necessary parts from a subject or course;

•     The learner would be able to combine parts from theoretical subjects or courses with practical subjects or courses especially in vocational training programme;

•     Learners could mix parts from different subjects (for example mixing mathematics with parts from physics) to create a new subject or course that will fit specific needs;

•     All learners do not need grades, as a certificate will be enough;

•     Providers will have to develop interesting tailor-made course materials.

 Advantages of maintaining current curriculum structures 

•     All learners study the same course;

•     The syllabus will be the same for all;

•     The teacher role will be the same for all education situations;

•     Grade criteria will be alike;

•     Providers are able to mass-produce course materials, including study-guides and assignments, for distance education delivery.

 Course materials design and devleopment models and processes 

All of NIDE’s course materials, except textbooks, are produced by the Institute. It is almost the teachers that are the producers. Sometimes, but not very often, we use external writers and other producers, and then most often in partnership with our own staff members.

 Summary of development process and planning framework 

Middle of March and middle of October:

                                           Planning conferences concerning subjects and courses for next term. Which subjects or courses do we have to develop? New courses? Modifying old courses and assignments? New textbooks that will demand new assignments? Need for contact with publishers’ houses? New needs for technical support? Questions concerning budget?

 Middle of May and middle of November:

                                           Planning schedules for the teachers/writers. Written planning documents with deadlines for all projects. Schedules for editors, computer technicians, etc.           Staff information about new courses and new course materials.Written prospectus and home pages.               Training study counsellors, administrators and management concerning the development process and the new products.

Middle of May and middle of November to middle of September - middle of April

                                           Period of production, editing, lay-out and printing.           Production of new prospectus.or printed course material, the planning and production phases last about half a year. For internet-based courses the phases will last one year or even more.

 Responsiveness of materials to different contexts and needs 

In some courses, we have developed different kinds of course materials to meet different learning styles. We think this is the right way to create a good learner context. In Maths, level A, for example, we have three different course materials for three different learning styles:

Traditional distance: 

Textbook from a publisher’s house, written and printed study guide and assignments. The learner sends his/her assignments by post and communicates with his/her teacher or tutor by post or telephone. This course will suit learners used to a traditional education situation and their perceptions about distance education.

Method of Instruction:

Textbook from a publisher’s house, written and printed study guide and assignments, jus

as above. The study guide and the course is divided into ‘lessons’ that will take about 45

minutes to complete. The student also has access to a CD-ROM with practical

exercises. 

 

The learner sends his/her assignments by post or internet and communicate

with his/her teacher or tutor by post, internet, or telephone. We think this course will sui

learners with a practical learning style, learners who want to feel that studies are usefu

for their daily life.

Internet based course: 

This course is made for those who have a more intellectual learning style. The whol

course is on the web, and students study by using a computer to read texts, to get link

to information, and to communicate with teachers. This course has no textbook, as al

required reading is on the web.

We think this course will entice intellectual people to enrol. Our developing work today primarily concerns learning styles to create good contexts for the student and to satisfy the needs of learners with different learning styles.

 Locus of control over course materials design, development and use of materials 

NIDE does not sell course materials on an open market. Our reasons for that are:

•    NIDE is a state authority, and not a commercial company;

•    We buy textbooks at publisher’s houses at cost price, and thus also have to sell them to learners at cost price;

•     We want to have full control over our course materials, not to give distance education a bad reputation when untrained teachers are using our course materials.

 

However, we sell course materials under certain circumstances. Our method is to come to an agreement with a local community adult education school or another organizer of distance education about using our course materials. In these cases, we train the teachers in distance education, and then give them certificates. With that certificate he/she is allowed to buy and use course materials from us.

NIDE has the national task to develop methods and course materials and to train teachers, study counsellors and managers in methods concerning distance and open learning. Our target groups for this task are local community adult education schools.

 Copyright and intellectual property 

Questions of copyrights can be divided into two parts:

•    The intellectual property, which always belongs to the author;

•    The right to duplicate. The author always has the possibility to sell or give the right to duplicate to a company or an organization.

When someone is permanently employed by a state authority, the employer always has the right to duplicate without any economic compensation. It is the same situation for the publisher’s houses. However, the employee always has his/her intellectual rights, even when employed by a state authority.

 Innovative use of distance education materials 

To solve the situation for students who are not able to come to our school, we have developed laboratory kits to make it possible for students to undertake their laboratory work in their own homes or in a study centre (study shop). We have developed kits for Chemistry and Nature. Our next laboratory kit will be for Physics.

Students are very pleased with this opportunity to undertake their laboratory work in their own homes. As was mentioned above, it is very expensive to travel in Sweden and many of our students are single mothers with children. For them this is the only opportunity do such practical work.

We also provide interactive exercises on CD-ROM or via the Internet. Producing interactive course materials is very expensive. Compared to printed courses, costs and time can increase tenfold. Thus, if a 100-hour, text-based and printed course will take about 200 hours to produce, it will take about 2000 hours to produce as an interactive course on CD or Internet. In some ways, it is better to use CD instead of the Internet, as the latter demands a powerful computer and fast telephone lines (broadband) especially if you work with pictures and video-streams. Most of our students do not have access to such computers and very few have access to broadband telecommunications. Beside, it is very expensive to use telephone lines for Internet access.

Video conferences contribute to making it possible for learners and teachers to ‘meet’. We are also using video conferences as a method for examination.

 Strategies for supporting learners 

The learner in a distance education situation is usually lonely. The learner has no classroom where there is a teacher telling you what to do, no classmates to discuss or to laugh with, no written schedules for lessons, no spare time for informal discussions, and so on. All of this has to be organized by the individual learner. Therefore, providing support to the learner is very important. A system for support could include the following:

•     Well written, welcoming course materials;

•     A welcoming introduction letter, telephone call, 

      or e-mail from the teacher to the learner;

•     A distance education guide to the learner, including some training on study habits;

•     Assignments in ascending degree of difficulty, with the first assignment to be sent in to the teacher shortly after study starts and being the easiest of the assignments;

•     Avoiding use of a ‘red pencil’ when the teacher corrects assignments;

•     Invitations to tests, refresher courses, introductory seminars, and guidance sessions;

•     An invitation to visit the nearest study centre;

•     A letter to all students who have been passive for more than three weeks; and

•     A further letter and telephone call to all students who have been passive for more than seven weeks.

 Information portals for eductaion, educators and learners 

NIDE is running five different projects funded by the Ministry of Education and Science. One of these is about establishing an Internet portal or database for information about distance education. The project is called A Distance Education Catalogue: tools to start and run Distance Education”. In that catalogue, visitors can find information about:

•         Textbooks for distance education and open learning. The database presents the textbooks and the publisher’s houses, and also links to their home pages.

•          Locally organized open learning; mostly organized by local community adult education schools. The database provides information about the organizer, name, address and so on, as well as a link to every home page for the listed schools.

•         Available distance courses, including a description of course materials and methods.

•         A teachers’ database, focusing on teachers trained in distance education and open learning.

•         An administration database, focusing on what distance education demands concerning administration 

This covers themes such as

•         Enrolment: how do you enrol new learners, assignments, examination etc

•         Course materials: how do learners get the course materials, routines for payment, purchase of textbooks, store holding, printing of study guides, and other questions concerning course materials and store holding.

•         A very important thing for the learner is to have good routines for financial suppot  for students. This support consists of two parts: study grant and study loan.

•         Purchasing distance education. This site is for those communities that will not organize distance education themselves. How to purchase? Questions of quality? How do you know that you will get education of good quality? How do you come to an agreement?

•         Study counselling. What is study counselling by distance? How does the study counsellor use video conferences in the counselling situation?

•         Validation. The site provides information about projects concerning validation, presentation of tests, and other techniques for validation.

•         On this site, it is also possible to download courses, Java scripts, and  

•         training materials for distance teachers, administrators, study counsellors, 

•         and managers

All of this information is presented on sites and linked together with each other and to other home pages, for example the Ministry of Education, the Nation Board of Student Aid and the National Agency for Higher Education. Interested readers can find all the projects on www.ssv.gov.se ( but it is in Swedish).

 Implications of the growth of private education and broader educational competition 

ICT companies want to develop distance education. The implications for us as a state authority are:

•     Our economic system. Because we are a state authority, we have to follow state principles in our economic system. This is more bureaucratic than the systems private companies are able to use.

•     Our tradition of being a state authority. Staff attitudes are, in some ways, stiff. It is pretty difficult to change the culture of a state authority to become a modern, development-orientated organization.

 However, most private companies running distance education only have computer courses or tailor-made staff training. Because we are a part of the formal education system in Sweden, we provide the whole national programme for subjects and courses on upper secondary level. We also have the authority to mark, which private companies do not have. Because of that, some private companies want to cooperate with us.

 Future trends 

Society is changing rapidly. All the world, western Europe, and Sweden are leaving the industrial epoch and going into the ICT society or society of knowledge. Skills of today are worthless in a short time. The epoch of lifelong learning is here to stay.

In this new society of knowledge and education, there are some trends for the future. First, the target groups for education are changing. Nowadays, we find old (40-55 years) and less well educated people starting to relearn. To meet these people’s needs, we have to develop and produce teaching materials that will fit different target groups. We must respect that, while they are anxious to become ‘students’, they are not used to that role. They, especially the men, want a new job (that does not exist) to take care of their family.

Therefore, we have to develop methods that will meet this group with respect and sensitivity. We have to:

•     Use different learning styles to meet their needs;

•     Have full control over course materials to avoid dropouts;

•     Train teachers to meet learners with humility and respect;

•     Develop education methods for adult learners; and

•     Establish and run study centres and study shops to provide support.

Second, this new large target group has many informal skills. They have built house, they are farmers, they are mothers and fathers, and so on. Therefore, we have to develop methods to measure these informal skills, and translate them into formal skills and grades. That is what we call validation.

By testing them, we can give them a second chance to progress through education systems, to an new job and to pride. In this work, study counsellors will have a very important role to play.