Volume Two - Academic Conferences

Benefits and Barriers: Applying eLearning in the Context of
Organisational Change to Improve the Learning
Experience for Mature, Part-Time Students
Simon McGinnes
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Ireland
simon.mcginnes@tcd.ie
Abstract: This paper reports on innovations in an evening degree programme in Information Systems at Trinity
College Dublin. The students are mature, experienced professionals who value the collaborative nature of their
programme, yet struggle to find time for learning. The aim is to increase choice over location, time and pace of
learning. Innovations include the adoption of a virtual learning environment and introduction of moderated
discussion groups, helping students to feel connected and to assist one another. Online, interactive coursework
modules and podcast lectures allow students to work at their own pace. Secure intranets provide useful
information for students and staff. Corresponding organisational and administrative changes are also required,
including eLearning support and training for staff and students, coursework scheduling to avoid bottlenecks and
reduce stress, and introduction of choice over content. Overall, the technological changes have been relatively
straightforward, but changing the organisation and its entrenched work methods has proven harder. The results
suggest that asynchronous eLearning can help mature students, but full benefit is likely to be felt only if required
organisational and cultural adjustments can also be made.
Keywords: eLearning; mature students; part-time study; lifelong learning; higher education; information systems
education; organisational change
1. Introduction
Growing numbers of mature students are entering higher education, yet the teaching and
administrative practices in established institutions may be ill-prepared to meet their needs. The
requirements of mature students, particularly when studying part-time, differ from those of
conventional full-time students (Vryonides and Vitsilakis, 2008). The average age of students entering
Trinity College’s evening B.Sc (Hons) and Diploma courses in Information Systems (IS) is 31 (TCD,
2011), which is coincidentally also the most popular age to start a family. Many students have busy
jobs with extended working hours and long daily commutes. The course has an onerous schedule:
three hours each night, three nights per week, for four years. Because of work, family and travel
pressures, students can struggle to meet the attendance requirements. The situation for female
mature students is particularly difficult, since many juggle multiple roles and try to carve out study time
from an already-busy schedule (Vryonides and Vitsilakis, 2008). Enrolments in the programme have
increased in recent years, but the overall proportion of females has declined for over a decade.
The IS students are generally eager and motivated to learn (Bowman and Kearns, 2008). Most are
experienced IT professionals; they learn from each other and value the opportunity for collaboration
with their peers. In some ways, the conventional idea of the university as a source of knowledge is
inverted, because the students bring cutting-edge knowledge and experience into the College for the
benefit of others. Yet the students face significant challenges in completing the course, especially as
job insecurity and traffic congestion have grown in recent years. The contact hours are reduced to fit
the evening format, so there is a substantial amount of syllabus to fit into the time available. Moreover,
the College’s administration is geared towards day students; evening students find it difficult to access
services when they attend at night.
This paper outlines measures being taken in the IS programme to help evening students participate
more successfully and with less stress, particularly in the light of recent technological and social
developments.
2. Why change?
eLearning is helpful for mature students (Hart et al., 2005), particularly because of the flexibility it
affords (Bowman and Kearns, 2008, AFLF, 2007). The aim in the IS programme is to use eLearning
to help students learn at a time and place of their own choosing. We also want to let students study
material that is useful to them, at their own pace. The current syllabus and schedule are inflexible;
students learn only the prescribed material, at the prescribed pace. But students in the IS programme
vary greatly in background, knowledge and roles, and this trend is increasing as the variety of roles in
982