Today we asked people how they feel about different kinds of online learning. We wanted to ask this question to find out about some of the emotions experienced as online learners – both positive and negative.
We had some great contributions to the discussion forum today with people identifying what they like:
- “researching topics for end of course dissertations has been very much my high point in online study”
- “I like to get useful feedback when I’m learning. It does make me feel that I’m doing well if I can test my knowledge. It’s similar to playing online games – I like to aim for the next level and get some kind of reward. It keeps me motivated.”
- “Surely the beauty of the internet and technology is its ability to connect individuals and communities, and to promote the exchange of ideas between different cultures and age groups, so I do feel that online learning has a way to go to truly embrace the possibilities.”
- “Supportive tutors are also key to keeping me engaged and focused. Regular catch ups with tutors, or emails to check on progress really help me to keep my motivation.”
- ” I was able to fit this learning in around my job and also around my family life. This often meant working late at night on the online activities but this enabled me to complete the course and meet the tight deadlines. Having the flexibility that online learning offers was something I really appreciated.”
We generated a wordcloud of the posts made to the discussion forum today…
Collaborative learning online
The topic that generated the most emotion the twitterchat today was definitely collaborative learning. We asked about and this in today’s quick poll and it generated a lot of responses…
For some this appears to be a really positive aspect of being online.
Best OL course was #byod4l (https://t.co/Tyf81Ggbdd) ‘cos connecting, sharing and collaboration were intended learning outcomes #OLsuccess
— (((Chris Jobling))) (@cpjobling) July 7, 2016
For others it was a much more negative experience. One person spoke about assessment issues when fellow students did not contribute to collaborative tasks in a wiki and described the experience as “hateful” – “Was so awful and disjointed a survey would not cover it.”
Others highlighted problems for students who find collaboration difficult for personal or disability issues – ” Minus 90000, being forced to do it in certain courses is the worst. Lost tons of marks this year for refusing.”
Questions have been raised throughout the week about learners being forced to engage in collaborative tasks and the impact on their learning.
Question from a student
Finally we also had a great additional question on twitter – have you got any thoughts on this? Tell us today…
Day 4 of #OLsuccess & I have another Q: should online learning be of #students and or #academics #staff responsibility? #edtech @Jisc #tech
— Kiu Sum (@KiuSum) July 7, 2016
