Why did you choose to do a distance learning course?
As a full-time working mother, I needed flexibility in the way the course is administered - I needed a course where I could manage my own schedules.
How do the "lessons" take place? What forms of e-learning methods you are making use of?
My course is made up of four semesters. At the beginning of each semester, we are sent a learning package but then material is uploaded on Moodle to which we have single, password access. Moodle is used to give us instructions, and PowerPoint Presentations, scientific papers, videos and other readings are uploaded on regular basis for our perusal. Furthermore, Moodle is used also a platform for participants (learners and lecturers) to interact.
What are the advantages you are benefiting from a distance learning course?
The main advantage is that I can work when I can (during the week it is almost impossible for me, so mostly it's weekends). Additionally I think I have learnt a type of self-discipline which I did not know I had.
What are the disadvantages that you are feeling are holding you back in an e-learning environment?
Sometimes you get discouraged, or you don't feel like doing anything (it's not like having scheduled lectures to which you have to attend). However, our lecturers give us weekly or fortnightly deadlines and this helps manage my time.
Another disadvantage is the lack of human interaction - my course involves meeting up with the tutors and peers at the beginning of every term, and during this one-week meeting the learning that takes place is incredible, especially due to participants all being professionals, each with his/her own baggage of knowledge and experience.
As a former lecturer, which methods of e-learning would you have adopted now that you have experienced yourself? (e.g. blogs, videos, etc)
Videos are very useful because you get very good insights in short time-frames. But I guess it depends very much on the subject as well. Definitely, references to real life scenarios and case studies make learning more interesting. However, I believe that a blend of techniques, including papers, presentations, videos and so on, is a good solution.
As a full-time working mother, I needed flexibility in the way the course is administered - I needed a course where I could manage my own schedules.
How do the "lessons" take place? What forms of e-learning methods you are making use of?
My course is made up of four semesters. At the beginning of each semester, we are sent a learning package but then material is uploaded on Moodle to which we have single, password access. Moodle is used to give us instructions, and PowerPoint Presentations, scientific papers, videos and other readings are uploaded on regular basis for our perusal. Furthermore, Moodle is used also a platform for participants (learners and lecturers) to interact.
What are the advantages you are benefiting from a distance learning course?
The main advantage is that I can work when I can (during the week it is almost impossible for me, so mostly it's weekends). Additionally I think I have learnt a type of self-discipline which I did not know I had.
What are the disadvantages that you are feeling are holding you back in an e-learning environment?
Sometimes you get discouraged, or you don't feel like doing anything (it's not like having scheduled lectures to which you have to attend). However, our lecturers give us weekly or fortnightly deadlines and this helps manage my time.
Another disadvantage is the lack of human interaction - my course involves meeting up with the tutors and peers at the beginning of every term, and during this one-week meeting the learning that takes place is incredible, especially due to participants all being professionals, each with his/her own baggage of knowledge and experience.
As a former lecturer, which methods of e-learning would you have adopted now that you have experienced yourself? (e.g. blogs, videos, etc)
Videos are very useful because you get very good insights in short time-frames. But I guess it depends very much on the subject as well. Definitely, references to real life scenarios and case studies make learning more interesting. However, I believe that a blend of techniques, including papers, presentations, videos and so on, is a good solution.
I think we can all remember how relieved we were when we had this module assigned as online. We know how advantages it is that instead of having to attend some 9 hr per week scheduled lectures we can go online and attend the lessons at any time even at 2 am if it is more convenient for us! The greater flexibility makes a huge difference even though we still have to put in the hours. Studying online is also beneficial to women and men who are parenting and cannot study on scheduled times. When I was studying for my postgraduate (2000) and had just had my youngest daughter it was a nightmare to arrange to go to University even though it was for just a few hours a week! With studying through e-learning, the problem would have virtually not existed. I think this is an area that can be exploited by MCAST because many colleagues from my previous work have expresed their great wish to develop professionally in areas which were not their specialization but cannot due to work and family commitments which make it almost impossible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary Grace, this module was a relief to all of us, doing our e-learning at home at our 'free' time instead of having to go to a three hour lesson after a hard day's work.
ReplyDeleteThese type of e-learning courses are ideal for those mature students who have now started work but still want to continue with their studies. I for one read my masters degree in my late 30's well after my university years and while I was working. This was a mix between e-learning and traditional face-to-face lecturing. I definitely miss the University's forum, where all students from all over the world shared their experience and difficulties. We all helped each other and even communicated with our tutors based in England regarding our assignments and our final thesis.
I would recommend e-learning to anyone who is working and wants to further their studies.
Online classes are becoming more and more popular for all those who already have full-time jobs and want to earn another degree at their own pace. This enables many people to carry on with their career advancements and possibly with career changes. Not sitting for hours in a classroom is already a bonus. Students will also avoid hassles with parking especially in Malta, leave work early to go to class, or miss family time. Lectures and other materials are normally sent to the student who will then read them and complete assignments. Thus, study time can be planned.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I still believe that one will spend more time studying and completing assignments in the online environment than in an on-campus course. The online environment is text-based. To communicate with your lecturer and other students, you must type messages and post responses. In the same sense, reading your lecture materials can take more time than listening to a lecturer deliver them, although spoken lectures have a distinct disadvantage. If you are sitting in a classroom, it's likely that you'll miss a good percentage of what the lecturer says, no matter how focused you are. It's human nature to zone out for brief periods of time. When you are reading, you will have a tendency to go back over the notes if you miss something and that takes more time. The point is that you will likely learn more in an online environment, but you will have to make a greater effort to accomplish that learning.
Moreover, there is no one to tell you to get to class on time. There is no one reminding you that assignments are due or that exams are coming. It's easy to put off reading and assignments in the online environment. Before you know it, weeks have gone by, you haven't done any homework and it's exam time. Online courses require the self-discipline to set aside chunks of time to complete your studies. It means you have to make online studying a priority and not let other activities interfere. Sometimes, it means making difficult choices.
Online courses may also create a sense of isolation. The fact that there is no interaction with other students may need some getting used to. A quick e-mail to a classmate or to the tutor can help you feel better connected if the sense of community you seek is missing.
Personally I believe that this freedom can be dangerous if one doesn’t know how to handle it. Being self-disciplined and ensuring that the work is being done on a regular basis, then online courses can be the easiest way to succeed further in education.
I agree that e-learning opens up a lot of opportunities to people who otherwise find it difficult to study or attend classes at a given time. Its very flexibility can sometimes be an issue if one has problems with time management - one problem which I admitedly had when I was studying long distance. As a result, it took me an extra year to finish my diploma in In terior Design.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, it also gives us the opportunity to study subjects which are not taught locally, unless we study abroad. It also gives us the opportunity to keep on working normal hours whislt continuing our studies.
Although maybe I have sometimes sounded pessimistic when it comes to e-learning because I do not believe all subjects can be taught this way and because I find human contact so important, I also believe that e-learning is a good educational tool which should be exploited further.
I also believe that online courses can make life easier only for those who are self-disciplined. E-learning from home is a breath of fresh air for those who have good time management. Most of the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning have already been clarified in the above comments, however I feel that there’s more to say about online courses.
ReplyDeleteAnother benefit offered through distance learning favours learners who tend to work at a rather slow pace; a kind of self-paced learning, where learners can dedicate more time to work on tasks that have been assigned to them. However there are also disadvantages tied to distance learning courses, one of which is the lack of additional assistance slow learners might require to finish off their work.
Distance learning also addresses physical accessibility issues that some people with limited mobility encounter when following traditional classes. Such students do not have to worry about gaining access to a classroom or sitting on uncomfortable desks. Instead, students with physical accessibility issues can use their comfortable furniture in their home while enjoying free movement.
I think we all express the same feelings here. In reality, even through my postgrad, I was also working as a full time employee and juggling classes, exams, assignments, work deadlines, and even family was a nightmare. One has to however move beyond these tangible advantages offered to students and be fully aware that an e-learning course is very much student-centric. Having younger students, doesn't imply that an e-learning course wouldn't be successful, but that it requires extensive planning, a full team effort, and a considerable amount of time dedicated from the lecturer. How many educators would be willing to dedicate a great portion of their time to teaching online. When we have educators, who merely shift the classroom content to the online environment, in the end what we have is more of the same, but in a different setup - this will certainly not stimulate motivation, nor interest...bottom line is... e-Learning, sure... but at what cost?
ReplyDeleteDistance learning is becoming fast-becoming very popular in Malta for a number of reasons. As already mentioned, it gives students a lot of flexibility when it comes to study schedules.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading a distance learning Masters degree, and my experience until now has been a positive one. However, as Yanika emphasized, distance learning students must make a considerable effort in order to make their studying experiences a positive one. Tutors will leave it up to the students to follow the course material, and will not baby-sit students in any way. This requires a shift in mentality from following a traditional course where attendance is taken, and tutors can provide live feedback on the students' performance.
I think that distance learning courses prepare students better for the professional working environment. Professionals are expected to carry out their jobs without management having to pester them and telling them what they need to do. It's all about being responsible and disciplined.
------------------
Christian Calleja
ICT Lecturer
I think that e-learning is very convenient because one could study at his/her own pace, s/he could study at his/her convenience; it could be done whenever and wherever. Despite this, I think that there are many disadvantages in learning on-line. I think that when one's knowledge of the subject is still very basic, maybe e-learnig is not the ideal way of learning. One of the disadvantages of e-learning is the lack of human contact. Despite the convenience of learning from home, one of the disadvantages of e-learning is that when one asks a questions s/he has to wait for the lecturer or for another student to answer. The lack of human contact also implies that body language is lost. So despite all the advantages of e-learning, there are a number of disadvantages where communication is concerned.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Even I was relieved when I knew I could adjust the work on this module according to my schedule. Thanks to this I could pursue other activities in the evening which I usually was missing due to lectures.
ReplyDeleteUnlike this interviewee in the above interview, I am not feeling so much isolated since much of my colleagues are also following this course and I have frequent opportunities to discuss with them face to face about issues being addressed in the above discussions.
I agree, and we were all relieved when we got to know that most of this module would be followed online - and even though it required more time working on the tasks given I must say that during this module we learnt more things that we can use with our students.
ReplyDeleteAdding to what my colleagues have said regarding online courses and time managements - I agree that you have to be self disciplined in order to follow an online course successfully - and also I am not feeling so much isolated when following this course. But on the other hand I think that during this course we are not feeling so isolated because we are following this with our work colleagues and therefore we can discuss issues / tasks / problems without any problems. Personally, this is not the case in my postgraduate course, since the other participants are from all over the globe, and therefore it is not so easy to discuss such issues with people you have never met before.