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Introduction
Education for Changing Times - An Online Learning Framework
Iain Langdon, Senior Researcher
BT Labs, Martlesham Heath
Ipswich, Suffolk, UK, IP5 7RE
iain.langdon@bt-sys.bt.co.uk
This paper describes research on Education and Training at BT Laboratories (BTL) in the UK. BT is the
largest telecommunications company in the UK with 27.3 million exchange lines and had a turnover of
£14,466m in 1995/96. It has a significant global presence - for example, a 20% share in MCI, the US long
distance carrier. BT invests over £280m p.a. on research and development. Its Education and Training
research programme addresses the many stages of the UK education system from primary schools through
secondary and on to college/university. The training market is also being addressed by considering the needs of
corporate users, small businesses and the increasing demand for services that support life long learning.
Programme Background
The approach is to work directly with the community to understand their needs and requirements. At the heart
of the programme is a test-bed populated by real users whose usage can be observed and analysed. This action
research approach produces results which feed into an iterative prototyping development cycle.
The aim is to explore the power and benefits of online learning, and to help BT understand how to manage and
deliver these services. We are tackling the challenge of designing future technologies for Education and
Training in several ways:-
_ addressing the softer organisational issues as well as the more tangible technical problems;
_ exploring how telematics (the convergence of telecommunication and computing) is applied in a number
of different educational and vocational settings; and also
_ addressing barriers to change, and developing a management of change strategy to overcome those
barriers.
Common Components of the Programme
The Education and Training Research programme is given coherence through 3 major shared components:
The Learning Test-bed: This spans a wide range of computing platforms connected via access bandwidths from
narrow through to broad band. While the core of the test-bed is situated within BT, significant parts of it exist
in Suffolk County schools & colleges. The complexity and dispersed deployment of the test-bed provides us
with credibility and validity, and ultimately leads to the design of more suitable and usable products and
services. By using this test-bed, we will also develop an understanding of critical management of change
issues.
A Common Learning Framework: It is widely acknowledged that there is a need for a new model of learning.
This will involve more universal and flexible access to learning opportunities, allowing more effective and
efficient pedagogy. In particular, it is becoming clear that dialogue is one of the keys to effective learning.
Future educational systems must not only foster dialogue and be situated in meaningful tasks, but must also
recognise that much of learning is a product of a social process, resulting from learners interacting with each
other.