Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning

Online and distance learning is becoming increasingly common. Some would say it has quickly become the preferred or 'new normal' mode of study throughout the world. However, surprisingly little is known about what actually happens to first year distance students once they have enrolled in...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Mark Brown, Helen Hughes, Mike Keppell, Natasha Hard, Liz Smith
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Athabasca University Press 2015
Materias:	distance learning open learning higher education e-learning online learning reflective diaries Special aspects of education LC8-6691
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/eb1aa4046149413ea0a7c9ccac28749f
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:eb1aa4046149413ea0a7c9ccac28749f
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:eb1aa4046149413ea0a7c9ccac28749f2021-12-02T18:03:24ZStories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning10.19173/irrodl.v16i4.16471492-3831https://doaj.org/article/eb1aa4046149413ea0a7c9ccac28749f2015-11-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1647https://doaj.org/toc/1492-3831 Online and distance learning is becoming increasingly common. Some would say it has quickly become the preferred or 'new normal' mode of study throughout the world. However, surprisingly little is known about what actually happens to first year distance students once they have enrolled in tertiary institutions; what motivates them and how they actually experience the transition to formal study by distance. This gap in the literature presents a challenge for distance education providers who worldwide are coming under increasing scrutiny in light of poor retention, progression and completion rates. Against this backdrop, the purpose of the current study was to gather insights and seek a deeper understanding from first-time distance learners about the nature of their experiences. The study was framed around Design-based Research involving a mixed method approach over three phases. This paper focuses on the third phase, which was the major component of the study. The lived experiences of 20 first-time distance learners were gathered, in their own words, using weekly video diaries for data collection. Over 22 hours of video data was transcribed and thematically analysed, from which five themes have been reported. The discussion reflects on the ways that video diaries have provided a unique insight around the complexities of distance learning — as distinct from campus-based learning. The paper concludes that the new digital learning environment made possible by the Internet offers a number of exciting possibilities for distance learners; however, more needs to be done by institutions to change the ‘lone wolf’ preconception of distance education and to avoid the ‘goulash approach’ to supporting distance learners. The lives of first-time distance learners are not black and white; they are complex shades of grey and this needs to be taken in to account when designing appropriate learning experiences and supports to ensure student success. Mark BrownHelen HughesMike KeppellNatasha HardLiz SmithAthabasca University Pressarticledistance learningopen learninghigher educatione-learningonline learningreflective diariesSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691ENInternational Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Vol 16, Iss 4 (2015)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	distance learning open learning higher education e-learning online learning reflective diaries Special aspects of education LC8-6691
spellingShingle	distance learning open learning higher education e-learning online learning reflective diaries Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Mark Brown Helen Hughes Mike Keppell Natasha Hard Liz Smith Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning
description	Online and distance learning is becoming increasingly common. Some would say it has quickly become the preferred or 'new normal' mode of study throughout the world. However, surprisingly little is known about what actually happens to first year distance students once they have enrolled in tertiary institutions; what motivates them and how they actually experience the transition to formal study by distance. This gap in the literature presents a challenge for distance education providers who worldwide are coming under increasing scrutiny in light of poor retention, progression and completion rates. Against this backdrop, the purpose of the current study was to gather insights and seek a deeper understanding from first-time distance learners about the nature of their experiences. The study was framed around Design-based Research involving a mixed method approach over three phases. This paper focuses on the third phase, which was the major component of the study. The lived experiences of 20 first-time distance learners were gathered, in their own words, using weekly video diaries for data collection. Over 22 hours of video data was transcribed and thematically analysed, from which five themes have been reported. The discussion reflects on the ways that video diaries have provided a unique insight around the complexities of distance learning — as distinct from campus-based learning. The paper concludes that the new digital learning environment made possible by the Internet offers a number of exciting possibilities for distance learners; however, more needs to be done by institutions to change the ‘lone wolf’ preconception of distance education and to avoid the ‘goulash approach’ to supporting distance learners. The lives of first-time distance learners are not black and white; they are complex shades of grey and this needs to be taken in to account when designing appropriate learning experiences and supports to ensure student success.
format	article
author	Mark Brown Helen Hughes Mike Keppell Natasha Hard Liz Smith
author_facet	Mark Brown Helen Hughes Mike Keppell Natasha Hard Liz Smith
author_sort	Mark Brown
title	Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning
title_short	Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning
title_full	Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning
title_fullStr	Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning
title_full_unstemmed	Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning
title_sort	stories from students in their first semester of distance learning
publisher	Athabasca University Press
publishDate	2015
url	https://doaj.org/article/eb1aa4046149413ea0a7c9ccac28749f
work_keys_str_mv	AT markbrown storiesfromstudentsintheirfirstsemesterofdistancelearning AT helenhughes storiesfromstudentsintheirfirstsemesterofdistancelearning AT mikekeppell storiesfromstudentsintheirfirstsemesterofdistancelearning AT natashahard storiesfromstudentsintheirfirstsemesterofdistancelearning AT lizsmith storiesfromstudentsintheirfirstsemesterofdistancelearning
_version_	1718378782247616512

Stories from Students in Their First Semester of Distance Learning

Ejemplares similares