Friday, 6 March 2009
Deakin university and Virtaul education
Deakin University in providing online education allows for individuals to be educated from long distances and at any time. The issue with distance maybe that certain individuals can’t afford to travel of simply don’t have the means. Having the ability to learn when it is most suitable is a lot better for the likes of mature students “full time workers and stay at home mums”(Cumo, 2007:157) Travelling great distances is extremely time consuming and tiring this makes learning and working near enough impossible. The university provides students with tutorials and tele-tutorial groups in order to help with guidance on the course. It makes sense that this will allow for students to have a good knowledge of other individuals on the same course as themselves and to gather guidance from them. Not forgetting that online “students participate more in discussions and learn from one another.” (Peterson, 2005: 47) Tutors give individuals the ability to have deeper discussion about the unit itself online, this virtual one to one helps to prevents confusion. What is good is that the university allows for students to come in during the weekend if it is needed in order to clarify any issues with the course. Virtual education is overall positive, but I wouldn’t say its to such a degree that Peterson implies, “online learning technologies are better than face-to-face.” (Peterson, 2005: 47)
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Most of the students on this unit stress tutor contact -whilst many of them refuse to attend seminars & lectures on other units? There seems to be a schizophrenia here?
ReplyDeleteTutors tend to agree that the most important thing is for students to talk to fellow students about the course content. We all feel we learned most from reading/thinking alone and discussing with fellow students. This seems not to happen much in modern British Universities. Paradoxically, it might happen more online, for distance learners, because the only experience they share is the course and studying it. So, as a CofP, (or at least, a studying virtual community) they may be more educationally effective because they have no basis for 'non-productive' discourse?
What do you think?