beyond moocs: transforming education in the digital … · beyond moocs: transforming education in...

Beyond MOOCs: Transforming Education in the Digital Age

Background Paper

Ralph Müller-Eiselt

3

Transforming Education in the Digital Age

Table of Contents

At a Glance: Drivers of Technology in Education 4

ExternalEdTechdrivers(conditions) 4

InternalEdTechdrivers(educationsystem) 4

Transforming Education in the Digital Age 5

Overview:corechallenges 5

Newtechnologiesineducation:MOOCsasacatalyst 6

Internationaldriversandpotentialconsequencesofdigitalisation 8

Massificationandpersonalisationofeducation:risksandopportunities 10

Further Reading 12

About the Author 13

Imprint 14

A previous version of this paper served as background material for the Global Economic

Symposium2014.ItispartlybasedonanunpublishedEnglish-languagesummaryof“Diedigitale

(R)evolution?“(Bischof/vonStuckrad2013).

4

At a Glance: Drivers of Technology in Education

External EdTech drivers (conditions)

1 Digital natives: The share of digital natives, defined as youth, aged 15–24 inclusive, with five years or more

experienceusingtheInternet,rangesfrom22.8percentinthedevelopingworldto81.9percentinthedeveloped

world.Furtherdisaggregationshowsarangefrom5.7percentinlow-incomecountriesto89.6percentinhigh-

incomecountries(ITU2013).

2 Technologicalprogress:Wehavewitnessedanacceleratedseriesofimportantsub-inventionsininformationand

communicationtechnologiessincetheintroductionofthePCinthe1980s,includingtheworldwideweb(around

1990), powerful search engines (late1990s), online social networks (2004), smartphones (2007), the first self-

drivingcars(2010)andthesupercomputerWatson(2011)(McAfee2013).

3 Socialmediaandbigdata:Facebookhasmore than665milliondailyactiveusers,Twittersawa44percent

growthintotalusersfrom2012to2013,morethan45millionpicturesareuploadedtoInstagrameverydayand

120peoplesignuptoLinkedIneveryminute(DemandMetric2013).

4 Venturecapital:USventurecapitalistsinvested$452millionintoeducationaltechnologyin2013,andmorethan

€2billion inventurecapital isexpectedto flowinto theeducationmarket in2014(NewSchoolsVentureFund

2013).

Internal EdTech drivers (education system)

5 Skyrocketingcosts(e.g.USA):TuitionexpensesintheUnitedStateshaveincreasedby538percentsince1985,

comparedwitha286percentjumpinmedicalcostsanda121percentgainintheconsumerpriceindex(Bloomberg

2013).

6 Limitedaccess(e.g.India):Accesstoeducationbeyondhighersecondaryschoolingisamere10percentamong

theuniversity-agepopulationinIndia(Shariff/Sharma2013).

7 Growing student diversity (e.g. Germany): The share of eligible university students in Germany has grown

enormouslyfrom6toapproximately50percentoverthelast50years,withnowmorethan2.6millionstudents

registeredataGermanhighereducationinstitution(GermanFederalStatisticalOffice).

Figure 1: Drivers of technology in education

External EdTech drivers(conditions)

1 Digital natives2 Technological progress3 Social media and big data4 Venture capital

Internal EdTech drivers(education system)

5 Skyrocketing costs (e.g. USA)6 Limited access (e.g. India)7 Growing student diversity

(e.g. Germany)

Massification and personalisation

of education

Source: own diagramme


5


Overview: core challenges

Thepromiseandperilofdigitaltechnologyiscurrentlythemostdebatedissueininternational

education. The emergence of so-called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) from world-

renowned universities, which hundreds and thousands of people have used as a learning

resource,hasmarkedthestartingpointofaperiodoffundamentaltransformationineducation.

There are both external and internal drivers transforming the way people around the world

learn.Externaldriversfortechnologyineducationincludeconstanttechnologicalprogress,the

growingdisseminationofsocialmediaandbigdataapplication,asignificantboostinventure

capitalintheUnitedStatesand,notleast,theentryofdigitalnativesintotheeducationsystem.

Cost and access are driving the transformation in digital education internally. In the United

States, skyrocketing tuition fees for a brick and mortar education (on-campus) have created

a new market for online learning. In many developing countries, such as India and several

African nations, it is the “democratic” (broader) access to educational opportunities that

makes technology-supported education a hot issue. In developed countries with a largely

publicly financed education system, people are less concerned about the cost and access to

highereducation.Thus,thedriversforadvancingdigitallearninginthesecountriesarefewer.

Applyingtechnologytoeducationisnonethelessanattractivedevelopmentinthesecountries,

especially with regards to individualising learning in a context of increasing heterogeneity.

Digitaltechnologycanhelpeducatorsaccommodatediverselearningneeds,pacesandstyles.At

thesametime,itcansignificantlyincreasethesizeofanaudiencetobereached.

Technologyhas thecapacity tomassifyandpersonalise learning insuchawayas to tap the

potential for infinitely scalable learning opportunities – and thus mark a real disruptive

revolution in education. Thedigital age is expected to change teachingand learningbeyond

traditionalbrickandmortareducation,callingforinnovationinbothtraditionalpedagogyand

businessmodels.

6


Figure 1: Drivers of technology in education

Critics,however, assert that thewidelyperceived impactMOOCsarehavingoneducation is

exaggerated, and that they will not have significant long-term influence on institutionalised

learning.TheyarguethattheeffectivenessofICT-basedlearninghasnotyetbeenproven,and

thatthereareveryfewsustainablebusinessmodelsinthisfield.Moreover,theUS-dominance

in the field of technology-supported education has been negatively dubbed a “new wave of

digitalcolonisation”.

This background paper aims to unpack the complex debate on the promise and peril of

technologyineducation.ItexplainsthecatalyticfunctionofMOOCsforthedevelopmentand

expansionofnewlearningtechnologies,anditexploresbothinternationaldriversandpotential

consequencesofdigitalisation.Havingidentifiedmassificationcombinedwithpersonalisation

astherealdisruptivepotentialforeducationinthedigitalage,thepaperconcludesbyoutlining

corresponding risks, opportunities and strategic options on the policy level as well as for

individualuniversities.

New technologies in education: MOOCs as a catalyst

Individuals and societies benefit from tertiary education. However, high costs, structural

discrimination toward certain types of learners and infrastructural barriers narrow the scope

of access to it. In the past decade, new technologies have enabled individuals to gain greater

exposuretohighereducation.GlobalknowledgenetworksandInternet-basedcommunicationhave

broadenedaccesstoknowledgeandlearning.Digitalnativeshavealwaysretrievedinformation“on

demand”andonalmostanythingtheywanted.Thevastamountofdataavailableonhowpeople

search for, use and process information has beneficial implications for personalising learning

throughdigitaltechnologies.

External EdTech drivers(conditions)

• Digital natives• Technological progress• Social media and big data• Venture capital

Internal EdTech drivers(education system)

• Skyrocketing costs (e.g. USA)• Limited access (e.g. India)• Growing student diversity

(e.g. Germany)

Massification and personalisation

of education

Source: own diagramme

7


How can higher education institutions (HEIs) use digital teaching materials, social media and

technologicalsystemstofulfiltheireducationalmandatemoreeffectivelyandefficiently?While

mostHEIstodayprovidestudentswithdigitalisedlearningmaterials(vialearningmanagement

systems),somehavealsobeenexperimentingwithvirtuallearningspacesforco-operationand

peer communication. HEIs such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other

membersoftheOpenCourseWare-Projecthavebeenprovidingfreecoursesandteachingmaterials

onlinesince2002.Apple’s“iTunesU”platformallowsHEIstopublishlecturesandcoursematerials

thatstudentscandownloadforfree.HEIsandindependentinstructorshavebeenpostinglectures

onYouTubeforsometimenow.TheKhanAcademy,whichisfundedbytheBill&MelindaGates

Foundation,Googleandvariousotherfoundations,nowoffersmorethan6,000YouTubetutorials

andotherteachingformatsonawidevarietyoftopicsforfree.

MOOCsarethemostprominentexampleofdigitalisationinhighereducation.Theyareusually

definedasacademiccoursesthatareofferedtoa largenumberof interestedparties(massive),

mostlyfreeofcharge(open),andavailableonline.MOOCsintegrate learningmaterialssuchas

videos, textsor Internet resources intoapackage.Theycanbe“consumed”co-operativelyand

spreadviadigitalsocialnetworks.HEIsandprivateentrepreneurshavecreatedInternetplatforms

suchasedX,CourseraorUdacity thatallowvariousHEIs toofferMOOCs fromahub.Course

participationisindependentofentryqualifications,formalstudentstatus,orothersocio-economic

preconditions. The learner must, however, have a digital device with Internet access. MOOCs

aresaid to lead towiderandmore“democratic” (self-determined)participation inhigh-quality

education(thoughevidencefromfirststudiesuserdemographicsstillshowsalargedominanceof

thosebeingwell-off).Withatwo-yeardelayascomparedtotheUnitedStates,interestindigitalised

coursesisgrowinginEurope.Insummer2014,morethan700oftheapproximately3,000digital

coursesworldwidewereofEuropeanorigin.

Commentators predict a “revolution in education” sparked by digitalisation. However, the

consortiaofHEIsthathavepioneeredMOOCspursuestrategicorganisationalinterests,alongside

philanthropicinterests.Afterall,academicteachingatHEIsisunlikelytochangeradicallyinthe

shorttermviaMOOCsandotherdigitalisedteachingandlearningformats.Thislimitedimpacton

traditionalacademiaispartlybecauseuniversityprofessorsareintegratedintobrickandmortar

institutionsinmultipleways,andtheirverystableprofessionalidentityamountstomuchmore

thanbeingavirtualinstructorinfrontofavideocamera.ThenumberandqualityofMOOCsis

alsosubjecttotheavailabilityofventurecapital,whichisnoteverywhereaseasytoaccessas

mostnotablyintheUnitedStates.Yetwithtensofthousandsofparticipantspercourseworldwide,

digitalisedteachingisgainingground.ThisisimpactingthewayHEIsthinkaboutteachingand

learning,andtheyarestartingtochangethewaytheydobusiness.MOOCscouldcatalyse the

developmentandexpansionofnewlearningtechnologies.Theywill,however,mostlikelyonlybe

oneofseverallearningtoolsinshiftingacademiclandscapes.

8


International drivers and potential consequences of digitalisation

Thenewdigitalteachingmodelsarecharacterisedbytheconstantavailabilityofcontentandthe

possibilities foranalysingand typifying learningprocessesvia learninganalytics, interactivity,

co-operationandinstantfeedback.Thesestimulicansignificantlyinfluencethehighereducation

system,thehighereducationlandscapeandteaching-relatedhighereducationstrategies.Someof

thepotentialconsequencesarepresentedinFigure2.

Figure 2: Possible effects of digitalisation

Lookingatsocietyandthehighereducationsystem,theenormousspeedinthedevelopment

of MOOCs and their institutionalisation on platforms such as edX or Coursera has aroused

immensesocialinterest,especiallyintheUnitedStates.Thecurrentdebateonopportunitiesfor

andlimitationsoftheincreaseduseofdigitalcomponentsinteachingprovidesastartingpointfor

movingawayfrompurelyquantitativeaspects(suchasthenumberofstudyplacesortheamount

of resources in the system) towardsa stronger focuson thequalityand functionsof teaching.

The development of digital teaching and learning formats could contribute to a discussion

aboutthepurposeservedbyacademicteachingingeneralanddigitalisedteachingcomponents

inparticular. Thepotentiallyglobaluse of digital educational offers and its resultingvisibility

couldevenincreasethevalueofteachingforthereputationandcareersofuniversitystaff.Asis

alreadypartlythecasewithlearningmaterialsintheEnglish-speakingworld,paid-forlicensing

ofdigitalisededucationalofferssuchasMOOCscouldleadtonewincomestreamsforHEIsand

universityteachersataglobalscale.Upuntilnow,andapartfromextremelyrarepeerreviews,it

isonlythestudentswhoareaskedtoassessthequalityoflecturesandseminars.Theopennature

of the new digital educational offers enables peer reviews, and their institutionalisation could

strengthenqualitymanagementattheoperationallevel.

Society and the higher education system

Higher education landscape

Higher education institutions

Social discourse on the function and formats of academic teaching

Development of a reputation system for teaching

Development of peer review in teaching

Increasing importance of higher education networks

Digitalisation as a feature of profile differentiation

Increased co-operation between technology providers and higher education institutions

MOOC platforms become part of the higher education landscape

Increase in teaching imports and exports between HEIs

Internal differentiation of the teaching staff

Increased use in quality management

Increased use for marketing and recruitment

Source: Bischof/von Stuckrad (2013)

9


Concerningthehighereducationlandscape,theglobalaccessibilityofmodulisedcoursescould

allowHEIstodeveloptheirownteachingoffersbycombiningandadjustingexternalcontentor

tointegratecompletecoursesfrominternationaluniversitiesintoowncurriculaatverylowcosts.

Given such easy teaching imports and exports, HEIs may in the future be asking themselves

whetheritisreallynecessaryforeachHEItohaveitsownin-houseteachingoffersforeachfieldof

knowledgeineachdiscipline.Itwouldinsteadbefeasibletointegrateteachingoffersfrompartner

universities(e.g.TU9inGermanyortheRussellGroupinGreatBritain),frominternationalhigher

education networks (e.g. LERU) or from MOOC platforms such as edX, Coursera, or Iversity.

The digitalisation of already highly standardised content (e.g. basic courses, introductory and

overviewcourses, andbridge courses)has thepotential to increase the efficiencyof teaching.

Thus, it could release resources tobeused formore intensive tutoring inother areas (e.g. for

morespecialisedcoursesorinvertedteachingformats).However,inlightofthebroadneedtocut

costs,HEImanagementboardscouldbetemptedtosaveonstaffcostsbyusingdigitaloffers–

though such “returns on investment” without negative impact on the quality of teaching are,

if at all, only feasible in the long run. It is possible that in the medium term we witness the

emergence of education providers that focus exclusively on compiling individualised learning

programmesforstudentsbydrawingoncontentfromthegloballyavailablerealmofeducation.

Theseproviderscouldalsocertifypreviouslyacquiredknowledgeandassesscompletedcourses.

However, such developments are highly dependent on the context of educational traditions,

sociallyrecognisededucationalpurposesandlegalprovisionsinwhichtherelevantactorsfind

themselves. Digitalisation may lead to a differentiation of the higher education landscape and

partlyblurthelinesbetweenHEIsandothereducationproviders.Ontheonehand,theprogressive

digitalisationofteachingandtheopportunitiesassociatedwiththisprocessallownewactorsto

entertheeducationmarketwhichprovidesimpulsesandreactionincentivesforexistingmarket

actors.Ontheotherhand,possiblesystematiceffectsofthedigitalisationtrendarecloselylinked

tostrategicconsiderationsofexistingmarketactors.

Special importance is therefore attached to the strategy of higher education institutions.

Indeed,newcontentproductionco-operationsbetweenHEIs–aspartofdigitalisationconsortia

– increase opportunities for additional teaching imports and exports, and for new models of

integratingexternallyproducedcoursesintoexistingcurricula.Thescopeofsuchactivitieswould

dependonaHEI´sindividualstrengthsandprofile(whichmayalsoleadtoastrategicdecision

nottoparticipateindigitalteachingformatsatall).Internaldifferentiationoftheteachingstaff

stimulated by the increased use of e-learning formats can be strategically significant. Digital

teachingformatsofferwindowsofopportunityforthedevelopmentofnewdidacticconceptsand

could thereforealsogiverise tonewtasksanddifferentiated functions foruniversity teachers.

Wecanassumethatexperiencedteacherswillconcentrateoncontentproductionwhileothers

systematically observe the learning progress of students, offer help in discussion forums and

on learningplatformsor create and supervise assessments. Suchadifferentiationof teachers’

tasksmayresultinthecreationofnewjobcategoriesamonguniversityteachers.Moreover,the

dataaccumulatedine-learningformatsmakeitpossibletointegratelearninganalyticsintointra-

10


institutionalqualitymanagementsystems.OpenteachingformatssuchasMOOCsalsorepresent

anewchannelforhighereducationmarketing.Low-thresholddigitalteachingoffersinconnection

withcommunicationplatformsandsocialnetworkscanmakeasignificantcontributionnotonly

tostudentretentionbutalsotomarketingactivitiesandthus,ultimately,therecruitmentofnew

students.

Massification and personalisation of education: risks and opportunities

Aswith any innovation, the increaseduse of digital educational offersdoesnot comewithout

risks.Theimplementationofe-learningelementscreatesnewchallenges(e.g.newapproachesfor

monitoringcheatingoradifferentiatedassessmentoflowcompletionratesinMOOCs)aswellas

newfears(e.g.concerningdataprotection,thegrowingprivatisationofeducationwithinparts

unclear business models, or the perceived US-dominance in the field of technology-supported

education).Thequalityofonlinelearningformatsisalsooftencriticised.Itisarguedthatthereis

stillnoreliablestockofresearchontheeffectivenessofICT-basedlearning.However,studieshave

revealedthatdistancelearningprogrammesare,asfaraslearningoutcomeisconcerned,notper

seinferiortoon-campusprogrammes.Juxtaposingon-campusprogrammesagainste-learningin

thisregardsuggestsafalsedichotomy,sincethereisnohomogeneousmodelof“onlinestudies”.

Instead,technologicalprogressoffersanumberofnewopportunitiesthatcanbeusedbyHEIsin

variouscombinations,rangingfromanenrichmentoftraditionalon-campusprogrammes(blended

learning)uptohighlyautomatedMOOCswiththousandsofparticipants.

Despitesuchreasonabledoubts,digitalisationcandomoreforthefutureofeducationthanjust

massivelyscalingeducationalresourcesandthusloweringtheexistingbarriersofcostandaccess.

Thesmartuseof technologyandbigdata isalso likely to improve thequalityof teachingand

learning in various respects. For example, analytical learning software can identify students

–especially in introductorycourses–whoneed tocatchupor requireadditional time for the

consolidationoftheteachingcontent.HEIsorothereducationproviderscanusethisopportunity

toofferpersonalisedtutoringandadviceor,inthemediumterm,automaticallyadaptindividual

curriculaaccordingly.Alreadytoday,invertedclassroomformatsthatusethecontacttimewitha

professorfordiscussingandapplyingthecontentofadigitallypreparedlectureprovidemorescope

forindividualisedlearningthantraditionalteachingformatscoulddo.Intheend,thepromiseof

digitalisededucationliesinthehopesofbeingabletoeasilydesignandadaptpersonalisedlearning

pathssuitedtoeachindividual’slearningpreference,paceandstyle.Massificationcombinedwith

personalisationwouldtapthepotentialforinfinitelyscalablelearningopportunities–andthusbe

arealdisruptiverevolutionineducation.

11


The digitalisation of education emerging from the United States is driven by technological

possibilities,changingindividualrequirementsandneeds,andincreasingpressureforefficiency

inan increasinglyexpensivehighereducationsystem.However,digitaleducationaloffershave

promisingpotentialforHEIsallovertheworld,beitintheimprovementofteachingefficiency

andquality, in theirusefulness inmarketingand recruiting forHEIs,orasanopportunity for

expandingco-operationswithotheractors inthefield.HEIsthatmaketechnologicalexpertise,

practicalexperienceandqualitycontentapartoftheirstrategywillhavecompetitiveadvantages

overtheirpeerinstitutionsand–intheareaoffurthereducation–othereducationproviders.The

waveofdigitalisationisassociatedwithtechnologicaladvancement.BothHEIsandpolicymakers

shouldembracethisprocess,itsrisksandopportunites,andtherebyactivelyshapeitscourseso

astoreachtheirsystemicorinstitutionalobjectives.

12


Further Reading

Bischof,Lukas/vonStuckrad,Timo(2013).Diedigitale(R)evolution?ChancenundRisikender

DigitalisierungakademischerLehre.CenterforHigherEducation.WorkingPaperNo.174

Bloomberg(2013).CollegeCostsSurge500%inU.S.Since1985:ChartoftheDay,26August

2013.www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-26/college-costs-surge-500-in-u-s-since-1985-chart-

of-the-day.html

Chernova,Yulia(2013).NewStudyShedsLightonFreeOnlineCourses.VentureCapital

Dispatch,21July2013.blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2013/07/31/new-study-sheds-light-on-

free-online-courses/

DemandMetric(2013).TheWorldofSocialMediaMonitoringandAnalyticsInfographic.

www.demandmetric.com/content/world-social-media-monitoring-and-analytics-infographic

Ferguson,Rebecca(2012).TheStateofLearningAnalytics:AReviewandFutureChallenges.

http://kmi.open.ac.uk/publications/pdf/kmi-12-01.pdf

GermanFederalStatisticalOffice.StatistischesBundesamt,Fachserie11,Reihen4.2.und4.3.1.

ITU(InternationalTelecommunicationUnion)(2013).MIS(MeasuringtheInformationSociety)

Report2013.www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/mis2013.aspx

Kizilcec,René/Piech,Chris/Schneider,Emily(2013).DeconstructingDisengagement:Analyzing

LearnerSubpopulationsinMassiveOpenOnlineCourses.ThirdInternationalConferenceon

LearningAnalyticsandKnowledge,LAK’13Leuven,Belgium.

Kolowich,Steve(2012).EarlydemographicdatahintsatwhattypeofstudenttakesaMOOC

InsideHigherEd,5June2012.www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/05/early-

demographic-data-hints-what-type-student-takes-mooc

Lack,KellyA.(2013).CurrentStatusofResearchonOnlineLearninginPostsecondaryEducation.

IthakaS+R.

McAfee,Andrew(2013).Theproposer’srebuttalremarks.EconomistDebates,7June2013.

www.economist.com/debate/days/view/988/CommentKey:2048178

Means,Barbara(2010).EvaluationofEvidence-BasedPracticesinOnlineLearning.AMeta-

AnalysisandReviewofOnlineLearningStudies.U.S.DepartmentofEducation.

NewSchoolsVentureFund(2013).AcloserlookatK12edtechventurefundingin2013,

18December2013.www.newschools.org/blog/closer-look-2013

Pappano,Laura(2013).TheYearoftheMOOC.www.ny-times.com/2012/11/04/education/edlife/

massive-open-online-courses-are-multiplying-at-a-rapid-pace.html?_r=1&

Shariff,Abusaleh/Sharma,Amit(2013).TheIntergenerationalandRegionalDifferentialsin

HigherEducationinIndia.Washington:US-IndiaPolicyInstitute.

Tucker,Marc(2013).MOOCs:MoreSocialMobilityorLess?EducationWeek,18April2013.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/top_performers/2013/04/moocs_more_social_mobility_or_

less.html

Wilson,Joseph(2010).Investorsgiveeducationtechnologyfirmsthenod.http://business.

financialpost.com/2012/09/10/investors-give-education-technology-firms-the-nod/

13


About the Author

RalphMüller-EiseltisaSeniorAdvisortotheExecutiveBoardat

theBertelsmannStiftung.

Ralphisanexpertineducationpolicyandgovernancereforms

withextensiveacademicandprofessionalexperience.Heheads

a taskforce at the Bertelsmann Stiftung on policy challenges

and opportunities in a digital world. He also coordinates the

Stiftung’s activities in digital education from early education

to lifelong learning, targeting in particular the use of digital

technologiestoovercomesocialinequalities.

Before joiningtheBertelsmannStiftungin2010,RalphworkedinthePresident’sOfficeat the

LeuphanaUniversityinLueneburgandservedasanadvisortotheMinistryofHigherEducation

inLowerSaxony.RalphholdsaMPPfromtheHertieSchoolofGovernancewhereheisalsoco-

teachingacourseinmanagingstrategicchange.

Contact

RalphMüller-Eiselt,MPP

BertelsmannStiftung

Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße256

33311Gütersloh

+49524181-81456

[email protected]

@bildungsmann

14


Imprint

©2014BertelsmannStiftung

BertelsmannStiftung

Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße256

33311Gütersloh

www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de

Responsibility/AuthorRalphMüller-Eiselt

DesignNicoleMeyerholz,Bielefeld

Photo©PeopleImages/iStockphoto.com

Address | Contact

Bertelsmann Stiftung

Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße 256

33311 Gütersloh

Ralph Müller-Eiselt

Project Technology for Education

+ 49 5241 81-81456

[email protected]

www.digitalisierung-bildung.de

@Bildung_Digital

www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de

beyond moocs: transforming education in the digital … · beyond moocs: transforming education in...

Documents