I've been spending a great deal of time over the last month listening to guest speakers, reading bloggs, emails, discussions and have come to an inescapable conclusion that on line teaching will not work with the level of students I currently teach (L2 - L4) by itself, because of the learning limitations people at that level have.
I know it can and does with 'experienced' learners, but the inexperienced rely a great deal on f2f and the interaction/socialisation in a class environment for learning, which is not possible to replicate on line to the extent required. From my analysis I can see no way to make it work either, as the level of user skills can only be increased with learning. An egg and chicken scenario really, you have to have one in order that you can gain/use the other. Is there a solution? None that I can see.
The class environment where we can indulge in 'over the shoulder' instruction can not be replicated to the required level on line, nor can the instant passing on of knowledge or correction that you get in a 'normal' class situation. I've spoken to people who have done distance learning and one of the main criticisms is the lack of instant replies with questions. They find the have to go over the topic again once a query has been answered, a big waster of time for them. The other biggie for them is missing out on the usual interaction with other people.
I think that it definitely does have a place as a supplement to class learning though, kind of like a resource site or file store where students can go for information or the likes of tasks to complete or assignments/information prior to taking part in a normal class.
The development of relationships pays an enormous part in learning in a class. On line relationships tend to be rather shallow and a little false. Many people create a persona of what they'd like to be perceived as, rather than display their 'true' self and it is very difficult to 'know' someone on line - you tend to get a false view until you actually meet the person f2f.
So, to summarize, on line learning is a great method for 'experienced' learners, a very poor one for the inexperienced who will (and do) get easily discouraged and wander off to something else. The challenge is to make it work for this level of student. I know that some Learning Centres currently run on line courses for students studying at these levels so I shall make enquiries about drop off rates. My guess is that they'll be much higher than those in a normal class environment.
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5 comments:
Hi Gary, I really enjoyed your reflections on the last few weeks. Like you, I have my reservations: trying to get registered midwives interested in this form of learning has been really difficult. Midwives are very sold to the idea of face-to-face interactions. Yet, they are for ever making excuses about why they cannot attend sessions. At the same time, from my own experience I would argue that online relationships can be more than shallow ones. What I would like to know (and haven't come across it yet in my reading) is how naturally formed online relationships differ from those that are artificially formed ie as a result of enrollment in a course of study. Cheers Sarah
Hi Garry
Most of my teaching experience is with students working at a level equivalent to Level 2 & 3 and I understand what you're saying. However, I see all these 'online' tools as additional resources to draw on to maintain interest, generate some enthusiasm, hit different learning styles and enable students to find new ways to develop their understanding (using the idea of blended learning). I've set up the start of my wiki page on this theme (called blended learning and the link is under the Projects heading on the course wiki) so perhaps we can collect some ideas together on how best to blend face-to-face with online stuff, for this level of student. I'm hoping so anyway!!
Cheers
Yvonne
Thanks for your comments Sarah. I think the answer might be to slowly introduce students to the online environment - make it a normal part of class with the emphasis on flexibility and convenience. One use of having documents made available online for download is the negating of excuses like 'I missed class so didn't get the assignment handout'.. and thats one I like!
I agree, online relationships can be much more than superficial but it seems to take more time for them to develop. Eluminate is a great tool for that though, hearing others voices helps to get to 'know' them.
Great idea there Yvonne! And one I'm all for. If solutions can be found that work with this level of student in the online environment then we will be well on the way to where we need to be. I'll look at the wiki over the next few days and get in touch.
Cheers
Garry
Thanks for writing this.
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