Analysis of distance learning in smart schools in Iran: A case study of Tehran s smart schools

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1 Analysis of distance learning in smart schools in Iran: A case study of Tehran s smart schools Vahid Motamedi ABSTRACT In the paradigm of information society the structure and facts have become flexible and subjective. In the recent social - economic order, IT and communication have taken over the leading role. Distance learning in smart schools is one of the flexible realities in the education field that has crossed the format of the hard and inflexible traditional schools such as boundaries of time and place and has provided educational content by using multimedia and networking software and computers. This study analyzed distance learning in smart schools within the regions of education of Tehran. The subjects for study were teachers and administrative staff of Tehran's four smart schools. Their opinions were collected according to Likert spectrum. Then we attempted to test the hypothesis using Pearson's correlation and regression testing. Results indicated that there should be an emphasis on systematic approach in distance training and also that onedimensional view lead distance learning objectives to fail. There was a significant relationship betwn elements of software and hardware infrastructure and distance learning in smart schools and also betwn the ability of teachers and the establishment of distance education. Keywords:0distance learning, smart schools, infrastructure, software and hardware, Tehran Assistant Professor Dr. Department of Educational Technology, Faculty of Psychology & Education Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran motamedivahid@ymail.com vmotamedi@khu.ac.ir 0 INTRODUCTION0 Societyisintransitiontoanewmodelofeconomic socialorderbasedonknowledgeandinformationprocessing.in otherwords,knowledgeandinformationaretherawmaterialforanewsociety.thenewstructuresandfactorsassociatedwith structuresthatdonotcompletelyconformtotherequirementofindustrialparadigm.whileinprecededdiverserangeof industriesoftenfacedwithhardfacts,andstructures,uncompromisingphysicalandmaterial,intheparadigmofinformation society,thesefactsandstructuresareflexibleandsubjective.intherecenteconomicmsocialorderitandcommunicationhave takenovertheleadingrolesoevenworkersbecomeknowledgembasedworkforce.thistechnologyisactuallyasetoftoolsand methodsthatcollect,store,retrieveprocessanddistributetheinformationinvarietyformandprovidemeanstoovercomethe problemofunresolvedhistoricaldetachmentandlackofaccesstoinformationandknowledgewhicharethemainobstaclesto thedevelopmentofeducation. ICTcreatednewlookineducationallandscapeduetochangesincontentandmethodsoflearningandthefunctionof educationalinstitutions(salimi&ghonoodi,20).useofthesetechnologieshaschangedthducationalsystem(ozpolat& Akar,2009;Liu,Liao,&Pratt,2009;Liaw,Huang,Chen,2007)andstrengthenstheprocessesoflearningandteaching(Paechter &Maier,200).Onthebasisofpreviousconcept,learningisfundamentallychangingthatitisnolongerlimitedtoattend classes(wang,wang,sh,2007).distancelearningisdescribed asinstructionaldeliverythattakesplacewhenlearnersand teachersareseparatedthroughoutthelearningprocessbytimeandphysicaldistance (Motamedi,200,386).Distance learningisaphenomenonthathasbnestablishedduetothelearners tendencytosknonmpersonalaccesstocourse material,limitationsoftime,place,andproblemsofmandatoryattendanceandontimeattendanceinacademicclasses. Computernetworks,especiallytheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinthiswayhavecreatedaspecialfacility. Indistancducation,studentscantakecourseswithoutreferencetotheirownschoolbuildingstoregisterandcan participateinvirtualclasseswithoutlimitsoftimeandplace.therefore,theroleofinformationtechnologies,theinternet, 97

2 softwarefordistancelearning,virtuallibraries,webanditsinteractivecapabilitiesspeciallylinktechnology,hypertext,and metamdatamodelsisundeniable.thesecasesasarobustandsecureinfrastructuresupporttheprocessofdistancducation viatheinternet.asaresultoftheinteractionsbetwnthesystemandthestudents,theclassroomenvironmentandhuman communicationaresimulatedandevenbyprovidinganswerstopossiblequestionsstudentsmaycompletethetrainingprocess. Inthefieldofdistancducationinadditiontothevarioustechnologiesthatareused,itemssuchastheabilityofteachersand students,availablelibraryfacilities,networksupport,softwarefacilities,elementarytraining,studyskills,improving procurementprocedures,transmission,deliveryandevaluationoftrainingmaterials,typesofitmbasedtraining,andtraining managementalsoarise;thatalloftheseplayaneffectiveroleinimprovingthequalityoflearningandsolvingproblemsof absenceintraditionalclassroomandpromotescientificrelations. Iranisstillintharlystagesofplanningandimplementationofsmartschoolsplans.AccordingtotheSupremeCouncil ofinformationandcommunicationtechnologyofministryofeducation,pilotimplementationofthemodelbegan2008infour schoolsintehran(absalgirlshighschoolindistrict4,calllibertyschoolindistrict5,dr.mosahebboyhighschoolindistrict7, andworkersmartyrsboyhighschoolindistrict5).inthe20m2schoolyears,themajorityofnationwidducation institutionshavedecidedtoimplementthesmartschoolsproject.theresearchquestionsforthisstudyare: - WhatfacilitiesandequipmentrequiredforclassesviatheInternet? - Whatskillsaresmartschoolsteachersandstaffrequiredtoexecutedistancelearningcoursesandwhatskillsdotheyhave. - Whatisthecurrentstatusofthesmartschoolsfacilities? Purpose00 Giventhatdistancducationhasbecomeprevalentinthelasttwodecades,itsmstohavehadagoodresultin differentdisciplinesandcountriesandhaschangedthecategoryofeducationfromteachingtolearning(berge&colllins,995). Inaddition,smartschoolsintheworldhavehadgoodgrowtheveninAsia(rman,200).However,inIranwearefacingthe changednatureofsmartschool spattern.uptonowwhathasbndoneinsmartschoolswasatthelevelofinstalling projectorsandsmartboards.whilelookingatthevariouscomponentsofthismodelimpliesthatboththehardware infrastructuresuchascomputeraccessories,internetnetworkingandlansystems,designingclassroomstosuitthendsof smartschoolsandsoftwareinfrastructuressuchasbackuprulesandregulationsandsmartschoolsteachingandlearning,digital libraries,andskilledandtrainedmanpowershouldbeseriouslyconsidered.therefore,furtherstudyisnecessarytoassessthe facilitiesofsmartschools. What0is0Smart0School?0 Smartschoolsareschoolsthatareflexiblewithrespecttothefeaturesandcapabilitiesofstudents(Salimi&Ghonoodi, 20).Computeralsohasaffectsinteachingandevaluation andchangingofcurriculum.astheinternetandaccessingwebsitesareofmajorinfrastructureplanninginsmartschools, studentsgaintheabilityofprocessinginformationsotheycanincreasetheiramountoflearning(rahimah,2003).the MalaysianSmartSchoolRoadmap(2005)statesthatthesekindofschoolsarelearninginstitutionsinwhichalltheprocessesof learning,teachingandmanagementprocessesreinventininformationagetohelpstudentstobffectiveandable.smart schoolisnotlimitedtotheuseofictinteachingandlearningbutnationalcurriculumandpedagogy,teachers,school administrativestaff,parentsandthecommunitythatenhancethducationofmalaysianstudentshaveimportantrole.inthe definitionofsmartschoolsiniran,itisalsostated:smartschoolsiniranareschoolsthataredevelopedschoolsthatforthe transmissionoftraditionalconcepts,informationandcommunicationtechnologytoolswillbeused.thesetoolsinclude computerprograms,speciallytheuseofapplications,suchasslides(powerpoint),lexicographyandspreadshtsandinternet facilities(educationandtrainingorganizationoftehran,2005).inthesmartschools,usingtheinternet,studentshaveaccessto vastreservoirsofinformation.incaseofnotgettinganswerstotheirquestions,studentsinteractnotonlywithteacherbutalso withotherstudents.contentispresentedelectronicallyandteacheractsasaguide(zari&zari,203). Literature0Review0 98

3 TheuseofdistancelearninginsmartschoolsofAmericahasbegunintheUnitedStatesandhasfounditswayinto othercountries(rman,200).inthestudyconductedinindia,theauthorhastriedtochangetheworldofcomputersand communicationsandexplaineditsroleinprovidingtheresourcesrequiredforinternetmbasedtrainingcourseinsmartschools anddiscusseddistancducationinsmartschoolsinindiaascasestudy(sign,2007).inastudybydringusandscigliano(2000), writersreviewedhistoryofacademiccoursesviatheinternetatvauniversityintheunitedstatesfrom980to2000and explainedproblemsandobstaclesinthewaytodothisanddiscussedhowtosolvethem.inthisstudythesystemsand technologiesfordistancducationprograms,facilitiesandcapabilitiesofthesystemandhowistherelationshipbetwn studentsandteachers,andsoftwareusedinteachingcoursesandpresentationsofconferencesandremoteresourceswere discussedandanalyzed.inanotherstudylearningusinginformationtechnologyisclassifiedandexplainedthatinthefirst stages,availablescenarioshavediscussedthiskindoftrainingandmethodsofpreparingmaterialsforthemandthenthe communicationservicesrequiredforeachscenarioaredescribed.accordingtothisanalysiscomponentsandfeaturesrequired foreachscenarioareincludedinthethrprotocols componentsusedincommunications,datamanagementandspecial functionalityforlearning.theauthorhastriedtoanalyzeallsortsofaspectsofdistancducationwithspecialsituationsof communicationbetwnteacherandstudent,studentandstudent,andthestudentswiththesystem(knierriemmjasnoch, 200). Methodology0 Thepresentstudywasadescriptive analyticalresearch.asitassessesthefeasibilityandimplementationofdistance learningofsmartschoolsiniran,thereisandtoreview,identifyandcomparetheavailablefacts.surveyresearchmethod wasused.thismeansthatatfirstasetofcaseswereidentifiedasfactsofpossibilityofholdingdistancelearningviatheinternet forsmartschoolsusingmaterials,policieshavebndetermined.thenusingaquestionnaire,smartschoolteachers'comments werecollectedandanalyzed.usingalikert5spectralpattern(totallyagrs5,andcompletelydisagr)intheformof questionnaire,indicatorswereidentified. ThepopulationofthisresearchisthesmartschoolsinTehran.GiventhewidespreadpatternofTehran,fourtopsmart schoolsintehranhavebnidentifiedassample(absalgirlshighschoolindistrict4,calllibertyschooldistrict5,dr.mosaheb BoyHighSchoolDistrict7,andWorkersMartyrsBoyHighSchoolDistrict5).Thesefourschoolswereselectedbecausethe modelofsmartschoolsiniranstartedin997bytheseschoolsonanexperimentalbasis. OursamplingmethodistwoMstageclustersamplingandcensus.AtfirstamongsmartschoolsinTehran,fourclusters wereselectedwithindicatorssuchashistory,areaofeducation,studentpopulation,andgender. Datacollectionwasconductedintwophasesandwithtwomethods.Firstly,throughinterviewswithsomeofthe teachersofsmartschools,informationobtainedaboutthefacilities,equipmentandconditionsrequiredfordistancecourses andonlineclassesespeciallyinthesmartschoolsthenspecifiedconditionsassessedintheformofquestionnaire. Data0Analysis0 ComputerTechnician:Theteachersandadministratorswereaskedwhetheritisnecessarytohavecomputertechnician toadministratedistancducation. Table00 Likertforitemsrelatedtocomputertechnician etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 4% 3% 7% 56% 30% 99

4 Havinglaboratoryspecializedtosmartschools:Theteachersandadministratorswereasked:forholdingdistance educationcourseswhethersmartschoolgroupsshouldhavelab?theiransweraccordingtothelikertscaleisasfollowing table. 0 0 Table020 LikertscalesforitemsrelatedtohavingLAB. etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 8% 2% 5% 48% 27% Thenecessityofhavingadigitallibraryinschool:inthisschooladministratorsandteacherswereaskedaboutthe necessityofhavingadigitallibraryontheinternetfordistancducationinsmartschools,andtheirresponsesaresummarized inblowtable. 0 Table030 Likertscalesforitemsrelatedtohavingadigitallibrary etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 8% 2% 5% 48% 27% Thenecessityofhavinganelectronicandsmartboard:Theteachersandadministrativestaffwereaskedwhetheritis necessarytohavlectronicandsmartboardfordistancducationcoursesinsmartschools.theiranswersareasfollowing: Table040 Likertscalesforitemsrelatedtohavingelectronicandsmartboard etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 2% 2% 7% 40% 29% InternetNetworking:Administrativestaffandteacherswereaskedwhetheritisnecessarytohaveonlinenetworking withotherschoolsandthenecessaryresourcesanddatabasesthattheyrespondfollowing Table050 Likertscalesforitemsrelatedtohavinginternetnetworking 00

5 et ely disagr Agr et ely agr 2 2% 2% 7% 40% 29% Familiaritywithsoftwarerelatedtodistancducation:Inthiscase,therespondentswereasked:isitnecessarytobe familiarwithsoftwarerelatedtodistancducationthattheresponsesspectrumisshownbelow. Table06 Likertscalesforitemsrelatedtobeingfamiliarwithrelatedsoftware etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 3% 8% 3% 53% 23% ThehistoryofholdingclassesviatheInternet:Teachersandadministratorswereaskedwhetherthehistoryofdistance educationcoursesviatheinternetisessentialthattheresponsespectrumisasfollow: Table070 LikertscalesforitemsrelatedtohistoryofholdingInternetclasses. etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 95% 20% 9% 33% 29% Usingonlineresourcesassubsidiary:Teacherswereaskedwhetherusingonlineresourcesbyteachersisessentialthat theresponsespectrumisasfollow: Table080 Likertforitemsrelatedtousingonlineresources. etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 0% 5% 9% 54% 25% HavingspecializedLANsysteminsmartschool:TeacherswereaskedwhetherdesigningLANsystemisessentialto createpropercommunicationwithenvironmentandstudentsparents?theresponsesspectrumisasfollow: Table090 LikertscalesforitemsrelatedtohavingspecializedLANsystem 0

6 etely disagr Agr etely agr 2 5% 9% 8% 2% 27% Testing0Hypotheses0 Hypothesis0 HypothesisH:Thereisasignificantrelationshipbetwnthehardwareandsoftwareinfrastructureinsmartschools anddistancducationcourses. HypothesisH0:Thereisnosignificantrelationshipbetwnthehardwareandsoftwareinfrastructureinsmartschools anddistancducationcourses. AMPearsoncorrelationtest Table0900 PearsoncorrelationTestofHypothesis Correlation coefficient The number of responder Significance level R=/785 N=20 α=/43 Thistestrevealedaweakpositivecorrelationbetwntheindependentvariableofthehardwareandsoftware infrastructureanddistancducationvariableinsmartschools.resultsshowthatforaunitchangeintheindependentvariable, thevalue.785unitchangesinthedependentvariablecanbxpected.thispredictionisbilaterallysignificantatthelevelof 95%basedontheabovetest. A) Regressiontesting Table090 RegressiontestingofHypothesis β. F Sig F d R² Adjuste R² R Theabovetableshowstheregressionoutput.Accordingtothistable,Ftestwhichisthetestofapproveorrejecta hypothesis,issignificantatthelevelof95%andconformstherelationshipbetwntwovariables.βisthekindofstatistic indicatesthat785changesarepredictable.r²representstheidentifiedamountofvariable"y"inrelationtothevariable"x".r ²indicatesthat565,itmeans56%ofvariationsofvariable"Y"isbecauseofinserted"X"andtherestisrelatedtoother"Xs". 02

7 ResultsoftestF,Pearsoncorrelation,andregressionanalysisshowthatthereissignificantrelationship betwnhardwareandsoftwareinfrastructureinsmartschoolsandthepossibilityofestablishingdistancducation.then hypothesishisconformedandnullhypothesish0isrejected. Hypothesis020 H:Thereisasignificantrelationshipbetwncapabilitiesofteachersandschooladministrativestaffandthe possibilityofestablishingdistancducation. H0:Thereisnosignificantrelationshipbetwncapabilitiesofteachersandschooladministrativestaffandthe possibilityofestablishingdistancducation. AMPearsoncorrelationtest Table0900 PearsoncorrelationTestofHypothesis2 Correlation coefficient The number of responder Significance level R=/654 N=20 α=/000 Thistestrevealedapositiveandhighcorrelationbetwntheindependentvariableofthendedcapabilitiesof teachersandschooladministrativestaffandthedependentvariableofdistancducation.resultsshowthatforaunitchange intheindependentvariable,thevalue.654unitchangesinthedependentvariablecanbxpected.thispredictionisbilaterally significantatthelevelof99%basedontheabovetest. BMRegressiontesting Table090 RegressiontestingofHypothesis β. F Sig F d R² Adjuste R² R Theabovetableshowstheregressionoutput.Accordingtothistable,Ftestwhichisthetestofapproveorrejecta hypothesis,issignificantatthelevelof99%andconformstherelationshipbetwntwovariables.βisthekindofstatistic indicatesthat284changesarepredictable.r²representstheidentifiedamountofvariable"y"inrelationtothevariable"x".r ²indicatesthat533,itmeans53%ofvariationsofvariable"Y"isbecauseofinserted"X"andtherestisrelatedtoother"Xs". ResultsoftestF,Pearsoncorrelation,andregressionanalysisshowthatthereissignificantrelationshipbetwn capabilityofteachersandschooladministrativestaffandthedistancducation.thenhypothesishisconformedandnull hypothesish0isrejected. Discussion0and0Conclusion0 03

8 Planningdistancducationcoursesinsmartschoolsisoneofthekeyelementsofinformationandknowledge basedsocietyinfieldoftraining.itisaffectedbyrapidtechnologicalchangeandrequiressystemicprogrammingofallelements. Asitisobviousfromanalysisofstructuresofresearchvariables,boththeteachersandtheadministrativestaffofsmartschools (Absalgirlhighschool,FrdomCallgirlhighschool,Dr.Mosahebboyhighschool,andworkerMartyrsboyhighschool)insiston asystemapproachinadministeringdistancducationandrejecttheonemdimensionalapproach.inthissystemic approachallelementsofsoftwareandhardwareinfrastructurefordistancducationinsmartschoolsshouldbepresent; andtheprovisionofelectronicboardsorsetupaspecializedsitecausetofailthereachinggoalsofdistance education.astheconceptualmodelreveals,theseinfrastructureshavemutuallyrelationshipwitheachother.hence,itisnecessary thatthecountry'seducationsystemadministratorstakeintoconsiderationtheintegrityofelementsofdistancducation.inour opinion,byconsideringtherequirementsoftheinformationsocietyandtheincreasingdemandfordistancducationbydifferent socialclasses,planningandformulationofrelatedlawsandregulationsshouldbethemostimportantchallenginginfrastructure. Thenthefollowingcasesshouldbxamined:a)rulesonhowtoevaluateadistancducationdegr;b)rulesonhowto establishdistancducation(focusedorbydifferentinstitutions);c)rulesconcerningthedefinitionofauthority ofinstitutionsinholdingdistancducation;d)rulesrelatingtotherequirementsforparticipationindistancducation;e)ruleson howtoreformandstatetheopinionofteacher;andf)rulesregardingonlinenetworksecuritysystem. Itshouldbenotedthatmanyofthesocialissuesofeducationalaffairsafteradministeringtrainingprogramsandthrough observationsandsurveysandfdbackcanbestudied. Throughthisstudythroverallresultswereobtained: MSmartSchoolsdonothavethepotentialfunctionalityandcapabilityfordistancducationcourses. 2MItisnecessarythattheteachersandadministrativestaffcouldinvestigatefurtherthedistancducationfollowing upitsimplementationatdifferentlevelsandindifferentclasses. 3 Withregardtothefirstcaseandhavingthepotentialperformanceofsuchworkandalongwiththeprogressmade inthisarea,itisessentialthatschoolshaveasystematicplanforthedistancducationandwiththesystematicand purposefulstancespavethewaytoachieveit.ontheotherhand,observingthepearsoncorrelationbetwntheindependent variables,includingthecapabilityofteachersandadministrativestafftoestablish,itisessentialthattheauthoritiesofthe country'seducationsystemacttowardholdingclassestobeablebetteractincontinuingtoapplythenewteachingmodel. REFERENCE0 Eshrat,Z.,B.,Gassabpour,B.,JabalAmeli,J.(200).Analysisofstrengths,weakness,opportunitiesandtreatsofsmart schools.quarterlyjournalofeducationalinnovations,36,79m0 EducationandTrainingOrganizationofTehran.(2005).SmartSchools StrategicDocument.Availableat: Berge,Z.&Collins,M.(995).ComputerMediatedCommunicationandtheOnlineClassroom.Cresskill,NewJersey: HamptonPress. Dringus,L.P.&Scigliano,J.A.(2000).FromearlytocurrentdevelopmentsinonlinelearningatvaSoutheastern University:Reflectionsonhistoricalmilestones.TheInternetandHigherEducation,3(M2),23M4 KnierriemMJasnoch,A.(October200).AnapproachtoclassifyIT basedteachingandlearningenvironments. Computers&Graphics,25(5),899M907(9). Kong,S.C.(2008).Acurriculumframeworkforimplementinginformationtechnologyinschooleducationtofoster informationliteracy.computers&education,5(),29m4. 04

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