It seems that the expectations of how much invested time may not be clear for everyone. I would say then to truly give a sense of realistic expectations so that they know how long it would really take them to take care of each module, correct?
Marco,
True, but you want to make sure you really give thought to interaction and outside work. Even in an online course I talk to my students about work on and offline. Much like the discussion we used to have with students about time spent outside of class on a subject.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Completing a self-analysis assessment will help the student see both strengths and areas for improvement. Focusing only on strengths can mean being blindsided by something that leads to failure. An effective self-analysis will help maximize strengths while shedding the blinders to see what might have a negative impact on learning success.
Self-analysis inventory is a great tool for both online and face-to-face students. Many students within both these groups have little knowledge of course expectations. This is especially true for the online students because casual or informal communication opportunities are fewer and this seems to be the method that many students form their ideas about courses. If students are honest on a self-analysis inventory, they could see whether this is the best format for them and to see the areas that they could enhance with effort. From my experience, the better performing students are the ones that use an inventory for growth and the lower performing are less likely to use one for growth.
Self-analysis inventory is key to understanding your students and their needs. Each student is different. By obtaining a self-analysis inventory, you can gain insight into who they are and their strengths and weaknesses. As an instructor, this allows us to provide instruction in different ways, whether it's visual, audio, etc. Self-analysis also allows us to be a bit more proactive, by identifying those students with present challenges and working with them. Self-analysis can be key to a student's success in an online course.
M. Allen
Tom,
Great point. You have to look at "both sides of the coin" for a self analysis to be successful. I want students to get into the habit of looking at their skills realistically.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lou,
You make such great points. Don't you think it can be the first link in connecting courses together? It is frustrating when students, f2f or online, don't carry forward information and/or skills from another course to the one they are in. I think self analysis can help with that.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Mamie,
You are right and with the technology tools we have, we can create individualized learning plans that will help students with their learning without increasing our workload. That is a win-win.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hello Dr. Wilkinson,
My students are learning that time management is a key to learning. Many of them procrastinate and think they can get caught up, but this is not as easy as they think. I think it is important for them to do their self analysis and you should be upfront as an instructor on how important time management is to their success. There are no shortcuts in my class.
Ruby Whitehead
I believe that a self analysis acts like a reality check and one which will not hold any surprises after the learner is in an online class.
Many of my colleagues state that their retention rate is impacted greatly by the following;
1. a learner not familiar with computers
2. a learner having to rely on family or friends for the use of a computer
3. A learer not realizing the amount of time and effort online clases demand.
Samia Friesen
Robert, right you are!!!!
Time management and time commitment are pre-requisites of online learning. I have noticed it in the time spent by some of my learnersin Intellipath....7 minutes to finish the unit and then you hear the screams "the programs is horible".
Samia
When looking at the online student it is important to have the student take inventory to ensure they have prepared or to understand what the student believes is going to happen with the course. This also allows for the instructor to assist the student correctly.
Ruby,
Great post. You wish they would spend as much time on learning than they do trying to "just get by". I agree with you as you need to be upfront with them about the workload. I think I am going to ask for my online class now to give advice to the group in the next online class with me. I will then share it with the new group.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Samia,
This is great information. It bothers me tremendously when programs ALLOW students to enroll without a computer available to them. It becomes the huge barrier to learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Samia,
It is frustrating when the instructor is blamed for the failure of the student. I am still trying to find the person who started the rumor that online education is easy.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Stephanie,
You are right, the self-analysis does give a student information regarding the skills needed to be successful. That is if they pick up on the cues.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Student neglect understanding time management when preforming a self-analysis inventory. Often making excuses for not completing work on time in online classes. Trying to get students to look at time differently is as difficult as “leading a horse to water but not able to get them to drinkâ€. Generally students do not plan their time well. Spur of the moment events preempt study times or family events both planned or not allow the student to postpone and justify why their studies.
It is important to ask an online student to complete a self-analysis inventory to assess their ability to be successful online learners. I think this is a great idea but my question is, shouldn't this be done before the students enrolls in an online program?
Most online courses are only five weeks with ten weeks worth of material so when so when is the assessment to be completed?
I have been teaching online for quite a few years and have seen many students get into an online course only to realize that the course is more difficult and more time consuming than a traditional face to face course. Many students do not realize how important being forced into the classroom three hours a week is for their success.
The inventory helps them point to weaknesses they may have that may lead to difficulty with the online environment. Time management skills, written communication skills, and research skills are keys to a successful online student.
Peter,
To their defense our traditional students are taught time management and that is something we have to provide them many times. I find also our mature students don't put a priority on the learning when it comes to other things in their lives. And both underestimate the time it takes to learn in the online environment. We have our work cut out for us!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
