(Ring, J., Watson, A.C. and Ring, G.W. (1994). Edith Cowan University's Virtual Campus Project. In APITITE '94, Brisbane)

THE EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY VIRTUAL CAMPUS PROJECT

Introduction

Edith Cowan University is an established leader in communication, multimedia and information technologies as applied to education and in particular, distance education. One of several significant initiatives within the University in this field is the Virtual Campus project. This project provides Edith Cowan University with an electronic outreach into distance education within Australia and to our near neighbours in South East Asia and beyond.

The Virtual Campus gives isolated students the electronic equivalent of on campus facilities. They are able to post mail to each other and to their tutors, read notice boards, submit and receive files of work, explore remote data bases and engage in real-time conversations with others on the system. The Virtual Campus provides 'just-in-time' contact and support. Students can enter the campus at any time, day or night.

The project is emerging from its formative stage and is now seen to have the potential to change the way in which distance education at Edith Cowan is delivered, managed and assessed. It also has the potential to be cost effective in the delivery of material as well as providing interaction opportunities which otherwise would not be possible. Early feedback from field trials of the system in 1992 and 1993 have been very positive with participants claiming that the ability to communicate with tutors and other students has increased their satisfaction and feeling of involvement with the University and its courses.

Background to the Virtual Campus Project

During 1990, the Department of Computer Science began researching the possibility of mounting a virtual campus system that would allow external students to contact the University via modems and computers with the intention of emulating on campus resources. The project became known as the Virtual Campus Project. The initial aim was to reduce the isolation of the distance education student and to improve access and communication between students, tutors and University resources.

The first stages of development involved the not insubstantial task of developing specifications that would be sufficiently flexible to allow for future growth and technological innovation. During 1991 a feasibility study was undertaken and an examination of the technology available in the marketplace was pursued with the intention of developing a 5 year horizon on the proposed system development and in turn, a detailed working plan. Visits to other educational sites in Australia using similar systems were undertaken as part of the fact finding phase and useful contacts were made with other sites overseas.

In 1992 the Virtual Campus was established as a computer based communication facility for distance education students at ECU. In semester 1, feasibility trials were conducted on a temporary system mounted on Telecom Discovery. In semester 2, an on-site prototype was created and was made available to a trial group of Library and Computing students.

Funds to cover communication costs and a pool of 20 modems were sought through DEET Equity funding to support users of the trial system in 1992. The School of Information Technology and Mathematics (SITM) at Edith Cowan funded the initial hardware and software as well as undertaking the research, design and development of a system. The development was fully supported by the Division of University Learning Systems (ULS) which provided funding to help support personnel working on the system.

In addition the SITM realised the commercial potential of this environment and factored future expansion and flexibility into the initial base technology. The purchase of a Tandem Integrity computer was made as it guaranteed 100% availability to clients of the system. The Virtual Campus is accessed via a dedicated Austpac line through a CISCO router both of which were purchased specifically for the project.

In 1993 the system was offered to a wider group of students and as of 1994, all distance education students at Edith Cowan are invited to become part of the system.

The Virtual Campus and ULS (University Learning Systems)

The Virtual Campus project forms an integral part of the process of developing appropriate infrastructure for the provision of alternative delivery mechanisms and flexible learning packages for ECU's External Studies programme.

All distance education students receive carefully prepared and presented print-based learning materials. These are often supported by videos and audio tapes. Students with access to a basic computer and modem are able to access the Virtual Campus system. With the rapid increase in computers in the home and the expanding availability of Telecentres the Virtual Campus is accessible by a high proportion of distance education students. Multimedia materials with their use of sound, colour, animation and real-time digitised video require more sophisticated computer systems and many packages require a CD-ROM drive. While these systems are becoming more common, they are less available than the basic systems that will allow access to the Virtual Campus.

At the high end of interactive technologies for distance education at Edith Cowan is the ECUNet system which provides two-way audio and video connection between educational sites. Figure 1 below describes graphically the relationship between the various technologies and their availability to the distance education student base.

Figure 1: Distance education delivery mechanisms and student coverage

Services on the Virtual Campus

There are six major service areas on the system: mail, bulletin boards, interactive chat and talk, internet, libraries and file exchange. Of all the services, students rate the mail the most useful with the interactive chat and talk second and boards third.

Mail

Mail is used to communicate with tutors and with other students within the Virtual Campus system. Students use the mail to ask questions of their tutors related to course work and to sort out administrative queries with the Department of External Studies. Students particularly requested that the system be kept live over the non-teaching Christmas break as they found the mail service useful for sorting out re-enrolments.

Standard forms such as change of address, unit add/drop and requests for deferral are kept on the system for students to fill-in before mailing to administration. The library also keeps standard loan forms on the system for students to complete and mail in to the external studies librarian for processing.

The key value of the mail is that each person uses the system when they choose. Time differences around Australia, work commitments plus family demands all make it difficult for students to catch the right person on the phone at the university at the right time. By using Virtual Campus, mail can be left at any time with the assurance that the answer is only one working day away at the most. The following quote comes from an external student and expresses a common preference among the students for using mail rather than the telephone.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate being able to leave mail for my tutor regarding my unit. It is so much easier than phoning on the off-chance that she may be in her office. If she was not in her office, I had to leave a message, and then hang around waiting for an answer. This way is so much easier.

Students use the mail regularly to correspond with each other. They report using mail to discuss course work, assignments and also to 'let off steam' when they are annoyed with marks or comments. They also use the mail to maintain social links with each other. The value of this contact is expressed in the following quotes from two different students.

I wanted to say how important it is to be able to communicate with other students when you have a query. It's great getting the quick feedback from tutors too. I certainly don't feel isolated any more thanks to VC.

Earlier this semester I received a very discouraging note from one of my tutors and I was ready to drop out of the course. The VC kept me going because I was able to talk to others and I realised that I was not alone with my problems, that other students also have similar discouragements.

Mail on the prototype system is currently only within the Virtual Campus community. The specifications for Virtual Campus V2.0 include full email which will allow students to correspond with the wider academic community through the AARNet.

Boards

The bulletin board system is the public posting place for messages to the Virtual Campus community. On the present prototype system, boards are organised hierarchically according to major function or academic area. The current top level board menu is shown below.

(A) Echidna Virtual Campus Information
(B) External Studies Admin
(C) ECU Library Information and Admin
(D) Social Boards
(F) Faculty of Business
(G) Faculty of Arts
(I) Faculty of Education
(J) School of Community Studies (HHS)
(K) School of Nursing (HHS)
(L) Department of Library and InfoScience (SAT)
(M) Department of Computer Science (SAT)
(P) Post Graduate Studies - All disciplines

Beneath each section, boards are organised by tutors for their particular units and by departments for their administrative notices. A section of the boards located under the Department of Library and Information Science is shown below.

Library and Info Science Board Area

List of Boards

Name Title

libdept      News from Lib and Info Studies
libtechs     Library Technicians general board
teachers    Teacher Librarians general board
archread    IST4134 Govt Records and Archives: Readings
archnews   IST4134 Govt Records and Archives: News and Info
recman      IST1131 Records Management Concepts
infoag        IST1141 Information Agencies and Environment

Unit boards contain postings from tutors to students about unit matters, perhaps the organisation of practicums, new readings, feedback on assignments or tutorial announcements. Students also use the unit boards to announce any items of general interest or to raise matters of concern that may affect the whole group. The general boards in each area allow students and staff to post notices about conferences, new books they have seen, jobs that they know are available and also serve as a meeting place for 'like souls'. Portions from three such board messages are shown below.

..I live in Alice Springs, so I'm equidistant from all of you I reckon! I'm studying the dreaded CPS1118 and LMT2111 and am looking forward to getting the last assignments in the post. I'm even looking forward to the exams so that I can have a break from it all. Is this lady stressed out or what!!!!!

Hi everyone - I'm in my final year of study -please God!! Currently studying LMT2223 Integrated Library Systems and LMT2232 Information Organisation 2.

Hello there! My name is ... and I'm from Sydney. I've just started a Grad Dip in Religious Studies at ECU,..... if anyone just happens to be enrolled in CES4101 or FAR4101 It would be great to know that I'm not the only person in the universe who's doing these subjects.

Students have total control over boards in the Social Board Area. Here they have created a second hand book shop, a meeting place called Introductions and several club style boards where they discuss film reviews, post poetry and swap jokes and anecdotes. Students come together in this area from all disciplines, giving them the virtual equivalent of an on-campus coffee shop or guild hall. The value of this type of interaction cannot be overlooked and students are reporting increased sense of involvement and belonging. Research is currently being undertaken to evaluate the effect of this environment on retention rates and early indications are positive.

Chat and Talk Facilities

Two styles of interactive conversation are possible on the prototype system. Individual talk sessions can be conducted in complete privacy between any two persons on the system. Tutors use this to talk through problems and counsel students. Students use Talk to work together on projects, to discuss their work in progress or simply to enjoy the company of another student.

Group chat sessions can include any number of participants and are public. These sessions are used to hold tutorial sessions, to hold group meetings and for social chats. Several rooms can be in use at the same time which allows tutors to book a room for a tutorial while still leaving another open for social chats.

As the medium of communication is purely text based, conversations draw heavily on Computer Mediated Communication conventions to help get meaning across as efficiently as possible. The use of 'smilies' to express mood and feeling (eg. ;-) turned through 90 degrees shows a face winking and means 'I'm only joking'), the use of short forms such as btw (by the way) and enuf (enough) and the total lack of worry about spelling and typographical errors all help get the message across quickly and keep the conversation moving.

At Edith Cowan, tutors are beginning to conduct regular tutorial sessions with their remote students. A portion of a tutorial chat is reproduced below as it actually occurred, complete with typographical errors. VW is the tutor and the students are WM (Brisbane, QLD), HM(Mildura, Vic), DM(Manjimup, WA), KH(Toowoomba, QLD) and DB(Walpole, WA). The tutorial had been called to discuss the library technology practicum which the students had just completed. The >> on the end of a statement indicates that the comment is to be continued.

-->vw: well done, we are discussing the prac for IST1171 at the moment
-->hm: I went to Mildura Regional Shire Libraries, four locations!
-->vw: Did you find that the prac made sense of all the theory?
-->db: Yes Vicky, but no practice answering reference questions.
-->wm: That takes a lot of learning DavidB.
-->hm: Only practice makes any sense of practice!!!
-->vw: Taht's a bit of a shame, David, not even directional ones on the>>
-->vw: front desk?
-->db: Yes I did do that.
-->vw: Did anyone have any difficulties with the prac workbook?
-->db: The Librarian is in the main role.
-->dm: Vicky Ther may be problems with CD_ROM type questions as ther are>>
-->db: The workbook is quite good, Vicky.
-->hm: Is the evaluation part filled in by the supervisor sent by the super
-->hm: visor or do they give it to us to send?
-->dm: not many places to have hands on experience. I hopethe Study Day>>
-->kh: Im still filling mine out as I ve been sick
-->vw: They have the choice of either filling it in with you - which >>
-->dm: will help me answer them.
-->vw: is our preferred option, or they can send it under seperate cover>>
-->vw: if they feel embarrassed for some reason.
-->hm: ok thanks, they will be sending in separately

(Note: Names have been edited to just initials for the purpose of this paper. The system displays the full name when in operation.)

Tutorial sessions allow remote students to discuss common problems, to get quick answers on administrative matters and to give direct feedback to their tutors. Simple questions such as the handling of the evaluation form can be sorted out quickly and avoids possible mistakes which may take time to sort out later. Students can alert their tutors to problems with resource availability and personal comments, such as kh mentioning that she had been sick, all help to keep the tutor informed about a group and their progress in the unit. Feedback gained from students in this manner has already led to the alteration of some unit requirements to better fit student needs and restrictions.

Social chats are much freer but also tend to focus on student issues. Students and staff mix freely in the social chats. Students have commented that the Virtual Campus tends to be status free and that students and staff can interact socially together. As one student commented "I could never imagine myself talking to a professor on an equal level, but he is just like one of us".

Internet

From the internet menu, students can access other computers within and beyond Edith Cowan, use the Gopher system and read Network News. The provision of Virtual Campus has enabled Edith Cowan to offer a wide range of computer science units as students are able to access specialised computer systems within the university network. Post graduate students have full internet access and are able to use telnet and ftp. They also have full internet email access. Internet subject menus are created at the request of unit coordinators to allow direct student access to particular specialist resources available on the internet within their content area.

Students have found the Gopher to be of particular interest and use the Veronica application to conduct keyword searches. A download area on the system has been provided so that students can save materials to the Virtual Campus and then later download them over a modem to their own computer.

Libraries

Any library that is accessible via the internet is accessible via the Virtual Campus. The libraries in most demand are listed in the menu with others available via Hytelent. Edith Cowan library staff have undertaken to manage all electronic information resourcing and are currently working on on-line training materials for students, the provision of on-line CD-ROM searching and journal request handling.

Edith Cowan's own library is on-line and students are able to query their own borrowing record, see the loan status of required materials and order materials. The library also runs an electronic help desk to assist remote students with problems and queries.

File Transfer

This facility provides the means of moving files to and from student machines to the Virtual Campus system. The files may be assignments, portions of work for analysis, shared group documents, computer programs, graphics and so on.

Assignment handling was undertaken for the first time in semester 2, 1993 and was received enthusiastically by students as the following two extracts from mail to the system manager show.

Just to let you know that my assignment sent through the electronic system, was successful. I have just received back the marked assignment from my tutor. It is really exciting to send assignments electronically and also cuts down on the paper output.

I'm enjoying the use of electronic transfer and can see it benefiting me more so in 1994 as I travel around the South West with my job.

The Future

Version 2.0 is currently being designed which will provide a GUI interface for IBM Windows and Macintosh clients in the first instance and for IBM DOS and Unix clients in the future. Other computer types (Amiga, BBC etc) will still be able to use the system with VT100 emulation.

The functional requirements for the new version were put together following interviews and discussions with lecturers, tutors, students, library personnel and the Department of External Studies among others. The new system will have greatly enhanced functionality, particularly in the areas of mail and file exchange. A Computer Managed Learning component which interacts with CD-ROM courseware is also planned which will utilise multimedia materials developed by ECU.