Jakobsdóttir, S. & Jóhannsdóttir, T. (2011). Expansion in e-learning: online technologies enabling access to the upper secondary level for a more diverse student group. Paper presented in A. Gaskell, R. Mills og A. Tait (Eds.), The fourteenth Cambridge International Conference on Open, Distance and E-Learning 2011: Internationalisation and social justice: the role of open, distance and e-learing (pp. 84-92). Milton Keynes, UK: The Open University http://www2.open.ac.uk/r06/conference/papers/authorsStoZ&Workshops.pdf

1. Expansion in e-learning:
Online technologies enabling access to the upper
secondary level for a more diverse student group
Sólveig Jakobsdóttir
Þuríður Jóhannsdóttir
University of Iceland – School of Education

2. Content
• Background
• Method
• Results
• Summary and consideration

3. Iceland
From: Icelandic Met Office http://www.vedur.is

4. Iceland
Capital area: Reykjavík
Residents ca.:
200.000
almost 2/3 of the
total population.
Akureyri
Town w ca.
17-18.000

5. Focus
• Why do learners at the upper secondary level
want to take advantage of distance education
(DE)?
• How do they estimate the value of having this
opportunity?
• Is the advent of online learning enhancing
equity in access to schools?

6. Background: VMA
• 1994 Akureyri Comprehensive College (VMA),
located in North Iceland was a pioneer in
offering distance education (DE) - online
courses (via e-mail).
• Vision: enhance equity in access to secondary
ed. for people in sparsely populated areas.
• For ca. 8 years the largest provider of DE at the
upper secondary level in Iceland.

7. Background: More schools
• Increased demand for DE – Reykjavík schools
follow suit e.g. FÁ 2001, VÍ 2005.
• Educational policy (2001, 2005): increase in
DE– students to study regardless of location
• 2009: 8 schools offer DE, 4-5000 DE students
enrolled.
• After 2008, heavy cuts, quality of DE under
scrutiny – Evaluation report in 2010

8. Method
• Evaluation study initiated and supported by the
Ministry of Education, focusing on 3 leading DE
schools at upper secondary level: FÁ, VÍ, VMA*
• Interviews with administrators, teacher &
student surveys, 36 course webs analysed.
• Focus in this paper on part of the student data
gathered with surveys
*FÁ=Comprehensive College at Ármúli
VÍ=The Commercial College of Iceland
VMA= Akureyri Comprehensive College

9. Method – Participants, N, F:M, age
School N of DE Gender Mean N of survey
students ratios, age participants
F:M (participation rate)
FÁ 1816 70:30 25.1 517 (31%)
VÍ 916 61:39 23.6 271 (30%)
VMA 491 63:37 29.1 292 (41%)
Total 3223 66:34 991 (31%)

10. Method – Participants, age distribution

11. Method - questionnaire
• Online survey spring 2010
• 46 questions in 5 sections
– General background
– Study background
– Experience and evaluation of DE courses
– Comparison of DE program/courses and „regular“

12. Results – courses and study
• Overall, students usually registered for 6-7
courses in spring semester (DE+regular)
– most (86%) taking 1-3 DE courses
• 42% 1; 27% 2; 16% 3 DE courses
• Mean number of total credits: 13.9 (full credit
load= 17-18)
– Mean number of DE credits: 6.4

13. Results – registration data
Additional type of study than the DE FÁ VÍ VMA Total
course(s) % % % %
DE course(s) at a different upper 8 9 8 8
secondary school
Dayschool in the same upper 7 8 18 10
secondary school
Dayschool in a different upper 25 27 23 25
secondary school
University 1,2 2,2 0,5 1,3
Lower secondary/Middle school 13 10 0 10

14. Results – registration by school

15. Results – students‘ residence
• 6% abroad
• In the Reykjavík schools in southwest Iceland
FÁ, VÍ: ca. 58% live in or close to the capital
• In the Akureyri school in Northern Iceland VMA:
52% live close to Akureyri+17% in close areas.

16. Results – work employment
• 35% did not have a paid job
• Ca. 25% worked 1-20 hours per week
• Ca. 25% worked 21-40 hours
• Ca. 16% 41 hours or more
Gender: More M‘s than F‘s 41 hours or more (25
vs. 12%); similar % wo paid job: 37 vs. 34%

17. Results – work employment

18. Results: Need and value vs.
Convenience & comfort
• Need: 61%: high/very high need for DE (51+,
and youngest less than middle groups)
• Value: 70% report DE study have high/very
high practical value
• Enjoyment: 52%: enjoyed DE studies
much/very much (F>M)
• How suited: 72% felt DE suited them well/very
well, 22% OK; similar with convenience

19. Results: main reasons for DE –
big age differeces
Age groups % choosing each reason
Main reasons (in parenthesis for the most popular reasons)
-15 16-20 21-25 26-40 41-50 51+
Advance credits 70 (1.) 31 (4.) 25 14 4 6
Need the credits 4 44 (1.) 56 (1.) 52 (3.) 39 (5.) 28
Flexibility in time 18 35 (2-3) 48 (2.) 55 (2.) 41 (3.) 46 (4.)
Convenient 27 35 (2-3) 41 (3.) 43 (4-5) 40 (4.) 50 (3.)
Can work with study 2 22 40 (4.) 57 (1.) 66 (1.) 66 (2.)
Flexibility in location 3 28 38 (5.) 43 (4-5) 35 (6.) 32 (5.)
Add knowledge 29 19 24 40 (6.) 57 (2.) 80 (1.)
Study at home w 0 6 22 37 (7.) 16 4
family/children
Number of main reasons 1 4 5 7 6 5
chosen by 30% or
higher ratio

20. Results: main reasons for DE –
gender differeces
• Gender differences in fewer reasons
• Highly significant gender difference in being
able to stay at home with children or family.
– 19% of F‘s and 8% of M‘s identified that reason
– In the age group 26-30: 48% of the women and
17% of the men.
• More F‘s than M‘s: convenient to study via DE,
flexibility in location, social reasons/problems

21. Summary - discussion
• Opportunities for taking courses at a distance
have enabled access to schools for people that
otherwise would not have been able to finish
upper secondary diplomas.
• ODEL has contributed to supporting groups that
for different reasons are in danger of dropping
out of regular schools and is in that way
contributing to social justice.

22. Conclusions
• Students in the regular day-school can organize
their studies to get ahead, catch up or make up
for lost time due to various reasons.
• People have access to school regardless of
location or circumstances including physical or
social problems or illness and can have more
control of their own studies.

23. Conclusions
• The drop-out rate for the DE courses the
schools involved in this study was reported to
be fairly high or 24-40%.
• However, DE can help students to graduate
from regular programs (where drop-out is also
high), so – DE option can help lower drop-out
rate overall.

24. Conclusions
• Students who have dropped-out at this school
level can pick up where they left off and enter
the school system again even if they have
increased responsibilities as adults regarding
family and work.
• Older adults have used the opportunity to
acquire knowledge in different areas.

25. Conclusions
• However, ODEL is not a magic solution for
everyone.
• Text-based to more use of social media and
multimedia.
• A growing number of immigrants – how does
DE work for them? – Opportunities for cross-
border education.

26. Acknowledgements
• This paper is based on an evaluation of DE in
Iceland for the Icelandic Ministry of Education,
Science and Culture. We thank the Ministry for
giving permission for the presentation of results
in this paper. We thank all the staff and
students participating in the evaluation study.
• And thanks also to you dear audience!