114 Book Reviews / Comptes Rendus Melton, R.F. (2002). Planning and Developing Open and Distance Learning: A Quality Assurance Approach. London: Routledge. Pages: 240. Price: $28.95 U S D (paper). Reviewed by Sue Lloyd, Queen's University. In his book, Planning and Developing Open and Distance Learning: A Quality Assurance Approach, Reginald Melton draws on his thirty-seven years of experience with the Open University of the United Kingdom (UK OU). His intention is to take the reader through the complex process of developing open and distance learning (ODL) courses, from the early brainstorming stage, to course delivery, and subsequent modifications. H e focuses on the challenge of developing high quality O D L courses that meet the needs of the students. He believes that this can be done in a cost effective way. Melton identifies the potential reader as a novice O D L course developer. On the opening page, he states that his book "offers practical advice on how to respond to your students' needs, expand your audience and become cost effective without compromising quality." M y intention, in this review is to explore the extent to which Melton's claim is defended. The process of developing a course Throughout the book, Melton emphasizes the need for careful and detailed planning at every stage of course development. H e claims that the success of O D L courses can be attributed largely to the following elements: effective organization of the course, clear course structure, and well-explained instructions. The book's format and layout reflect these attributes, modelling Melton's advice to course developers. Consequently, readers know exactly what will be covered in each chapter, how the information is organized, and why it is presented in a particular way. Each chapter begins with an The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXXIV, No. I, 2004 115 Book Reviews / Comptes Rendus overview that explains and identifies the subtitles that follow and ends with a summarizing perspective. Although formulaic in its layout, the book can be scanned easily for specific information. Melton provides the reader with a clear process for developing an O D L course, from the preplanning phase (where the parameters and format are established), through the detailed development of the course elements, to a course evaluation process and post-course revisions. His attention to the preliminary stages of planning is particularly helpful. Critically, in my view, he stresses the importance of considering the skills the students will need to succeed in the course and how these skills can be assured before students begin the course. From my perspective, developers of O D L courses often overlook this crucial point. Melton's assertion that potential students be included early in the course development process, is a perceptive insight. He advocates early dialogue with the target group of potential students to ensure that their needs will be met in the course. Melton's book includes useful resources for O D L course developers and designers. Frameworks into which a developer can insert their own material become useful guides as they sequence the courses' development. A particularly good example appears on page seventy-nine. Excerpts f r o m already developed courses demonstrate how course instructions can be given in interesting and clear ways. The excerpt on pages ninety-two and ninety-three is an example. It is intended to help students choose an appropriate topic, by providing clear instructions and definitive parameters. These will enable students to make informed topic choices. This is one of many useful examples that appear throughout the book. Meeting Student Needs Traditionally, students in O D L courses have been viewed as separate individuals reading through recommended texts on their own without advice or assistance. This is not Melton's view of a student in an O D L course. He describes such students as dynamic The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXXIV, No. I, 2004 116 Book Reviews / Comptes Rendus learners (with a variety of learning styles and needs) working with course tutors and fellow students in a variety of ways. Melton recommends that courses include tasks that provide an experiential approach (using the senses), a relevant context, and first-hand experiences. Here are two examples that Melton offers. The first f r o m an earth science course demonstrates first-hand experiential learning. Students are provided with kits of rocks to study. They are asked to handle the samples of rocks as they listen to an accompanying audiotape that discusses the property of the rocks. In this first-hand experience, the students use three senses: sight (to view the rock samples), sound (to listen to the audio tape), and touch (to feel the rock sample). The second example, f r o m a French course, highlights a task with a relevant context for learning. Students are introduced to work life in France by viewing a video, in which French people talk about their work as they describe their work routines, and give their own views on good and bad aspects of their jobs. Readers of this book who support Melton's experiential approach to learning will find the section on the use of media to support such learning, particularly helpful. While Melton addresses learning styles and student needs throughout his book, there are two particular areas of student need that require more attention: exceptional learners and issues of cultural. Today, it is difficult to imagine a group of students that does not include exceptional learners with physical or learning challenges. Although many of his suggestions about careful sequencing of tasks and clear explanations would be helpful to exceptional learners, no mention is made explicitly of how to develop courses that would address the needs of exceptional learners or what accommodations for them might be required. A useful addition to this book would be the inclusion of a discussion about cultural considerations and how these might affect the understandings that students "bring" to courses. There is no question that O D L courses offer opportunities for education The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXXIV, No. I, 2004 117 Book Reviews / Comptes Rendus that are global and cross-cultural. Course instructors who have worked with students f r o m a variety of cultures and backgrounds will know how enriching and thought-provoking these experiences can be. However, such teacher-student contacts can be challenging since students f r o m different cultures may approach the same task with a variety of understandings about its underlying purpose. For example, students f r o m cultures in which teaching and learning are mainly heavily content-based and teacher-directed may have problems understanding the pedagogical concept of the project work and negotiated learning opportunities that Melton advocates. Similarly, the methods of assessment that Melton describes on pages 156-163 may be completely alien to learners f r o m some cultures. Some clarification is required that alerts O D L course developers to the needs of culturally diverse students and those with exceptionalities. The Open University Experience The long association that Melton has had with the U K O U and the experiences he draws upon, give rise to the strengths and the weaknesses of the book. The chapter describing the support that students receive at the UK O U is particularly detailed and contains an abundance of useful suggestions. Clearly, the U K O U has a highly developed and effective network of support for students, which goes beyond regular written feedback f r o m instructors to include telephone calls, emails, and computer conferencing. The section devoted to the frameworks required to develop self-study materials, provides examples f r o m the UK O U courses. The casestudy examples of students choosing and beginning their courses, offer the reader valuable insights into aspects that must be addressed in the early stages of O D L course planning. The author's focus on the U K O U limits the scope of the book somewhat. The process of course development described is based principally on the UK O U model, with its significant financial The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXXIV, No. I, 2004 118 Book Reviews / Comptes Rendus resources and well-developed infrastructure. Although Melton mentions the possibility of a less elaborate and expensive course development process, he does not provide examples of more "scaled-down" models that would help the "lone" course developer who does not have a large team of professionals for support. While his rationale for a generous level of student support is persuasive, such support may not be possible for course developers who have fewer resources at their disposal. Quality Assurance The notion of quality assurance permeates the book, but takes on more emphasis in Chapter 9. At every stage of course development, Melton shows how to ensure that courses and student support are of the highest quality. The checklists he supplies and the advice he gives to ensure quality, are invaluable to novice O D L course developers. H e offers advice on such relevant topics as monitoring the developmental process (developmental testing), designing questionnaires for course evaluation, interpreting data collected about student performance (grades and marks) and student feedback about the course. Cost effectiveness Cost effectiveness is a high priority issue for Melton. Frequently, he warns that there must be a certain number of students to ensure that the financial cost of course development is recovered. The chapter entitled "Institutional Support" provides specific advice about the factors upon which cost effectiveness depends. Perhaps this chapter deserves a location other than the final pages of the book. Determining what institutional support is available for the development of O D L courses is surely a prerequisite to the actual development of the course. Recognition of this reality would suggest its consideration earlier in Melton's book, rather than later. For instance, if efficient technical support is likely to be a problem The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXXIV, No. I, 2004 119 Book Reviews / Comptes Rendus w h e n the course is o f f e r e d , o v e r c o m i n g that obstacle should be considered early in the O D L course d e v e l o p m e n t process. R e c a l l i n g his o p e n i n g claim that his b o o k addresses students' needs, cost effectiveness, and the course quality of O D L courses, Melton the has omissions dealt with these (exceptional aspects students and convincingly. Despite multicultural needs) noted earlier and an over-reliance on r e f e r e n c e s to the U K O U , R e g i n a l d M e l t o n ' s b o o k is a w o r t h w h i l e read f o r a n y o n e with little or no e x p e r i e n c e w h o f a c e s the task of d e v e l o p i n g an O D L course. * B r a b a z o n , T. (2002). Digital Poisoning of Teaching. * Hemlock: * Internet Education and the Sydney, Australia: U N S W Press. Pages: 240. Cost: $ 3 4 . 9 5 A U D . Reviewed by Doug Symons, Acadia University and Visiting Scholar, University of Queensland. Digital Hemlock reflects the c o n c e r n s of m a n y faculty as they integrate technology in their teaching in a p e d a g o g i c a l l y - s o u n d fashion. Tara B r a b a z o n uses a r e f r e s h i n g mixture of prose, research, and stories f r o m her daily life as an a c a d e m i c to a d v a n c e her a r g u m e n t that w h a t is best about teaching in a university setting is u n d e r attack. W h i l e " u n d e r attack" is s o m e t i m e s equated with either " f a c u l t y resisting c h a n g e " or " u n i o n rhetoric," this is not the definition here. S h e is c o n c e r n e d with an attack on e f f e c t i v e p e d a g o g y to the detriment of student education, a c a d e m e , and society at large. T h e fact that this b o o k is written by an Australian within the Australian university s y s t e m does not matter: the issues c o v e r e d are global in nature, and s e e m e d particularly pertinent to recent d e v e l o p m e n t s in C a n a d i a n universities. The Canadian Journal of Higher Education Volume XXXIV, No. I, 2004