3 things I found out
This Unit has been exciting for me as I got exposure to aspects of learner support that I had not got before. I have always thought that the only group of learners that require special attention in order to succeed were the learners with disabilities. But after doing Unit 2 and reading more on learner characteristics I know that there are other learners that require special learner support. These learners are; the athletes, the military personnel and the learners in incarceration.
Secondly, I also found out that doing group work online in different time zones requires the group members to be clear about the task requirements. To successfully complete the task on time, there should be effective communication, mutual respect and an understanding that each group member is operating within a different work schedule. Once we understood what the task required we divided our roles and supported each other until completion.
Thirdly, I found out that there are better and creative ways in which presentations can be made. My team mate and I opted to use PowerPoint; I am confident on the content of our presentation and hope that others have learnt from it. Prof Walti mentioned that it is not advisable to use PowerPoint without narration in an online class; I have learnt that in future I should provide a narration. I would also like to explore alternative means of presentation.
2 things that sparked my interest
I got interested on different ways of identifying learner needs and Quality Assurance, Evaluation and Research.
Different ways of identifying learner needs
I have generated a genuine interest on QA in relation to the support of learners with disabilities. I will hopefully conduct a mini study on it with an aim of publishing an academic paper.
1 question I still have
I do not have any particular question that has not been answered. Most of the questions I had were responded to by my peers. The module is engaging, I learn a lot from reading through the discussion forum posts.
Conclusion
I have thoroughly enjoyed this unit because it gave me new perspectives to learner support. It has equipped me with skills that can enable me to evaluate learner support initiatives at my institution and other institutions.
References
Batalla-Busquets, J., & Pacheco-Bernal, C. (2013). On-the-job E-Learning: Workers’ attitudes and perceptions. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL),14(1), pp. 40-64. Retrieved from http://irrodl.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d5e8b9866b8a89a545c675602&id=49a6cefd81&e=67a34f1683.Additional MP3-Recording: [MP3]
Bienkowski, M., Feng, M., & Means, B. (2012). Enhancing teaching and learning through educational data mining and learning analytics: An issue brief. US Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, 1-57.
Boxer, D. (1993). Complaints as positive strategies: What the learner needs to know. Tesol Quarterly, 277-299.
This Unit has been exciting for me as I got exposure to aspects of learner support that I had not got before. I have always thought that the only group of learners that require special attention in order to succeed were the learners with disabilities. But after doing Unit 2 and reading more on learner characteristics I know that there are other learners that require special learner support. These learners are; the athletes, the military personnel and the learners in incarceration.
Secondly, I also found out that doing group work online in different time zones requires the group members to be clear about the task requirements. To successfully complete the task on time, there should be effective communication, mutual respect and an understanding that each group member is operating within a different work schedule. Once we understood what the task required we divided our roles and supported each other until completion.
Thirdly, I found out that there are better and creative ways in which presentations can be made. My team mate and I opted to use PowerPoint; I am confident on the content of our presentation and hope that others have learnt from it. Prof Walti mentioned that it is not advisable to use PowerPoint without narration in an online class; I have learnt that in future I should provide a narration. I would also like to explore alternative means of presentation.
2 things that sparked my interest
I got interested on different ways of identifying learner needs and Quality Assurance, Evaluation and Research.
Different ways of identifying learner needs
- Batalla-Busquets and Pacheco-Bernal (2013) opine that examining learner views and attitudes can assist in determining the learners’ needs. These authors also suggest that feedback from learners on their learning experience can be employed to deduce their needs.
- Boxer (1993) postulates that complaining should be perceived positively as it gives away the challenges faced by learners. It is therefore advisable to analyze learners’ complaints.
- Bienkowski, Feng and Means (2012) state that learning analytics can be used to model user knowledge, create user profiles, model knowledge domains, analyze user trends and personalize and adapt learner support.
- Formative tasks analysis is another way in which learner needs can be identified. The process of assessment should be guided by intuition so as to identify the underlying academic shortcomings the learner might have.
I have generated a genuine interest on QA in relation to the support of learners with disabilities. I will hopefully conduct a mini study on it with an aim of publishing an academic paper.
1 question I still have
I do not have any particular question that has not been answered. Most of the questions I had were responded to by my peers. The module is engaging, I learn a lot from reading through the discussion forum posts.
Conclusion
I have thoroughly enjoyed this unit because it gave me new perspectives to learner support. It has equipped me with skills that can enable me to evaluate learner support initiatives at my institution and other institutions.
References
Batalla-Busquets, J., & Pacheco-Bernal, C. (2013). On-the-job E-Learning: Workers’ attitudes and perceptions. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL),14(1), pp. 40-64. Retrieved from http://irrodl.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d5e8b9866b8a89a545c675602&id=49a6cefd81&e=67a34f1683.Additional MP3-Recording: [MP3]
Bienkowski, M., Feng, M., & Means, B. (2012). Enhancing teaching and learning through educational data mining and learning analytics: An issue brief. US Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, 1-57.
Boxer, D. (1993). Complaints as positive strategies: What the learner needs to know. Tesol Quarterly, 277-299.