INTEGRATED LEARNING SYSTEMS

This chapter has been oriented to individual learning activities. Even when a teacher makes a strong commitment to the integration of tutorials, drills, simulations, and the other learning activities discussed here, the teacher will still play the major role in scheduling classroom activities, delivering instruction, assessing student performance, and keeping records of student achievement. It would be very unwieldy to piece together enough individual computer-based learning activities to alter these responsibilities. Individual computer activities often offer certain situation-specific advantages. A simulation, for example, may provide an active approach to exploring genetic principles that is more efficient and cost-effective than anything else the biology teacher can think of. Perhaps an elementary teacher finds an interesting math drill program and thinks that this program will reduce the tedium of practicing number facts. However, the simulation and the drill program fill only a small niche in the biology or elementary teacher's curriculum.

There is an alternative to the purchase of individual software programs. An integrated learning system (ILS) provides a much more comprehensive approach and covers one or more curriculum areas, often for a range of grades. (The phrase integrated teaching system (ITS) is preferred to integrated learning system by some [Smith and Sclafani, 1989] because it more accurately describes the instructional role of the material.) An ILS or ITS combines a relatively sophisticated management system with a comprehensive set of instructional activities. The management system allows the designation of a sequence of learning activities for a number of individual students, the assignment of individual students to the appropriate activity when they begin a learning session, the recording of detailed performance records, and certain decisions regarding advancement or remediation. In theory, the management system might call on any of the types of instructional software discussed in this chapter. In practice, the typical ILS makes much more frequent use of tutorials than other applications. Usually, an ILS is designed for a laboratory setting of fifteen or more computers and requires the support of a CD-ROM or massive hard disk to store all the necessary material (Wilson, 1990).

Not all ILSs take the same approach. Some are oriented more toward comprehensive instruction and others, to remediation or supplemental experiences. Some deliver nearly all of the instruction with technology, and some attempt to integrate technology with other types of experiences, such as reading or films. The most common content area available is mathematics, followed by reading and language arts.

The companies responsible for ILS's have continued to develop their products and their approach. The primary advantage of ILSs remains the potential to respond to the needs of individual learners. It appears, companies providing ILS software have begun to respond to some of the concerns we described in Chapter 4 (Fraser, 1998). These improvements have:

• increased the variety of learning experiences
• given teachers greater control in structuring student experiences
• increased options for purchase

Here are some of the specific changes:

1) Some companies have included problem-solving activities which involve writing tasks, science simulations, and multimedia spreadsheets. Some activities are focused on student collaboration.

- In order to implement such activities, companies have incorporated tool software (word processing programs, etc.).

- There is a greater probability ILSs would facilitate the tools activities we describe throughout the book.

2) Some ILSs allow theme based instructions.

- Themes may be accommodated by allowing the existing activities to be reorganized in support of theme units.

- Jostens provides "Vital Tools" - a tool for searching many resources to create theme units.

3) Some ILSs incorporate portfolio options to collect and organize items not easily evaluated by a computer.

4) Some ILSs bring Internet resources into lessons.

5) Some companies have broken up their total curriculum package to allow schools to purchase pieces they need or that meet the standards the schools have been asked to address.

6) Some ILSs allow the integration of third party instructional software.

Some of the Companies Selling ILS Software

American Education Corporation

Computer Curriculum Corporation

Plato - TRO

Riverdeep - Cornerstone

Experiences That Lead to Meaningful Learning

The need to respond to a diverse student body should not distract a school from considering an even more fundamental question (Smith and Sclafani, 1989). This basic question involves the fundamental issue of what kind of experiences lead to active and meaningful learning. The fact that students in some schools differ drastically in their background knowledge and level of academic accomplishment may indicate that not all students are prepared for the same learning experiences. However, when educators address this challenge, they are considering a different question than that of how students learn most effectively. It is very possible that a system could provide different, but ineffective, learning experiences for many individual students. What would be the advantage of such an approach? Do not misinterpret this concern. It should not be inferred from these comments that ILSs provide ineffective instruction. Rather, the point is that schools should not allow other issues to interfere with the fundamental decision: Will this activity engage students in active and meaningful learning?

Attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of ILSs have concluded that the benefits are modest and based on an ineffective-learning model that isolates individuals from a meaningful social context for learning (Becker, 1993). Others have concluded that schools do not follow through on what the developers of ILSs intend. Most ILSs were not designed to isolate students from teachers or classmates and most systems were developed to be integrated with other instructional materials and methods. A greater commitment to staff development may be required to help teachers use ILSs as intended (Van Dusen & Worthen, 1993).

In addition, we propose that the selection of an ILS be based on criteria similar to those applied to software packages designed to accomplish more selective objectives. Questions to consider include the following:

1. How many of the individual lessons address content that the teachers feel is important to learn?
2. Do the teachers agree with the instructional approach taken in specific lessons?
3. Is memorization overemphasized?
4. Are students encouraged to apply key concepts or to relate them to personal experiences?
5. Are students encouraged to write about or discuss ideas with classmates?

Teachers might also want to ask some questions of themselves. Do they see the ILS functioning as remediation, supplemental instruction, or the primary mode of instruction? Does a laboratory-based ILS represent the ideal use of the available hardware and the money available for software?

Deciding to Purchase an ILS

Committing to an ILS requires a much more intensive decision-making process than what might be involved in making an occasional software purchase. First, there is the matter of the cost. Because an ILS is a complete instructional system for multiple users, the cost of the system will likely be quite high. Typical ILS software will cost $60,000, over and above the cost of the necessary hardware. Even if the computers are in place, an ILS typically requires that the computers be networked, that one additional computer be devoted as a network server, and that a mass storage device such as a CD-ROM or large hard disk be available. Most ILS systems also require an annual licensing fee of $5,000 to $30,000 for a typical computer lab (Smith and Sclafani, 1989).

A second issue to consider is the problem or concern the school wants the ILS to address.

1. Does the school believe that the present curriculum is inadequate or boring?
2. Does the school need a way to document the academic progress that individual students or classes have made?
3. Does the school have some other problem in meeting students' needs?

Often an ILS is considered when the population of a particular school is unusually diverse-the students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with some considered at-risk. The management system and the ability to present different activities on each computer offer an attractive way to provide for individual needs. The relationship between ILSs and diverse student populations occurs for another reason. A substantial proportion of ILSs are purchased using federal Chapter 1 money. This funding source is available to schools with a substantial proportion of disadvantaged students. Because an ILS is expensive, external funding may be necessary before a school district feels a purchase is possible.

NCLB and ILSs

You may have noticed that many of the references here are dated. "No Child Left Behind" and the focus on documentation has generated a resurgence in the purchase of ILS systems (Blaschke, 2003).

Return to Chapter 4

Becker, H. (1993), A model for improving the performance of integrated learning systems. In G. Bailey (Ed.), Computer-based integrated learning systems. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications

Fraser, K. (1998). Interactive curriculum systems replace ILS. eSchool News, 1(2), 18-19.

Smith, R. & Sclafani, S. (1989, Nov.). Integrated learning systems: Guidelines for evaluation. The Computing Teacher, 17(3), 36-38.

Van Dusen, L. & Worthen, B. (1993). Factors that facilitate or impede implementation of integrated learning systems. In G. Bailey (Ed.), Computer-based integrated learning systems. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications

Wilson, J. (1990, Feb.) Integrated learning systems: A primer. Classroom Computer Learning, 10(5), 22-23, 27-30, 34-36.