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INTERACTION ISSUES IN MALAYSIA OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL) - Coggle…
INTERACTION ISSUES IN MALAYSIA OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL)
Changing Educational Environment
Open Distance Learning calls upon an impressive range of technologies to enable distance teachers and distance learners (DLs) who are separated by distance to communicate with each other
real time (synchronous)
delayed time (asynchronous)
can access education and learning opportunities at a time, place, and pace to suit their individual lifestyles, learning preferences and personal developments plans.
that separation give rise to “an
impressive and innovative array of media mix resulting in the application of technology in education
Providers need to understands educational products and services are to service the DLs and provide an encouraging educational experience
Affects distance learners’ (DLs) success in ODL
amount of learning interactions and interactivity
“faced with a new learning
environment and the expectation that they will have independent learning skills and the capacity
to engage in activities that require self direction and self management of learning”
learner who has left the educational setting for many years may feel incompetent and lacking in
the learning skills needed to compete
learners dependency on their teachers have caused frustrations and sometime impede the learning process.
students expect distance teachers to play an important role in helping come to terms with the new ways of learning.
distance teachers too need to undertake some changes
need to understand what is involved in distance
learning and must themselves account for this in their reassessment of teaching.
a need: the reassessment and reengineering of the educational process
New ways of learning
the perceptions of learning to work more independently and having to adopt more active learning modes as a result of learning at a distant.
need attention: transform these learners to have the educational ‘change’ for distance learning, Distance teachers need to provide optimal learning support system.
Technology has invaded today’s educational experience.
Adaptation was merely a method of survival.
the DLs viewed having to adapt to
the use of ICT and computers in a negative manner.
different from traditional learning experiences.
educational experience at a distance difficult to grasp
learners
more reserved
sometimes passive participants in classroom discussion.
They feel at loss when clear instructions are not given for work, assignments, and experiments.
blame their distance teachers
Inherent in the nature of ODL is a sense of individual autonomy in the learner
not always given immediate feedback
reiterating a point or respond to a question asked by a distance learner
unsure of the distance teachers meaning when interpreting the lectures and materials
experiment with many different possibilities for meaning
making connections to situations
risk of ‘being wrong'
thereby constructing their own knowledge
uncertainty in this process cause
learner to lose self control
power to make decision and courage.
ODL offerings in Malaysia
intent of making university courses and program more accessible to learners, various ODL and dual mode institutions in Malaysia
Much could be done to make ODL a better learning option for prospective students.
important aspect
continuous evaluation for continuous improvement.
issue of interaction
needs greater attention
understanding is needed on the role and
functionality of interaction and interactivity
Affects the ODL completion success rate among the learners
interaction can be immediate with some media or delayed
very significant because it determines the logistics
and "feel" of the distance learning experience
involve delayed interaction provide more student control and flexibility
classes that involve immediate interaction often have a sense of excitement and spontaneity
Common Barriers to ODL
Problems and barriers fall into several distinct categories
costs and motivators
feedback and teacher contact
student support and services
alienation and isolation
lack and experience
training
conventional form of education that practices teacher-centeredness as oppose to student-centeredness may find the transitional period of becoming an ODL student more challenging
other contributing factors
financial costs of study
disruption of family
life
perceived irrelevance of their studies
lack of support from employers
perceived lack of feedback or interaction
cause trouble in learning and self-evaluation.
separation of student and teacher imposed by distance removes a vital "link" of communication
students who did not receive adequate reintegration measures such as electronic or telephone communication
less likely to experience complete academic and
social integration into institutional life.
drop out
It is important that the student receive prompt feedback
especially for those students who does not live in big cities
where connectivity, network system, and accessibility could be additional determining factor for a satisfactory of ODL educational experience.
not have access to reliable telecommunications, computers, and technology.
frustrations resulting from problems with interactivity
distance education administrators should be continuously be reminded and aware of
lack of support and services
providing tutors
academic planners and schedulers
help them complete courses on
time and to act as a support system
technical assistance
Technology costs and considerations can be a source of budgeting problems
distance learning takes away much of the social interactions
teachers must be trained and understand what and how to teach at a distance
learners on the other hand must know the expectation and routine
prevalent with new distance students.
careful consideration must be given to the special needs of students undertaking distance education for the first time.
lack of student training
reference to technical issues
adult students are not well versed in the uses of technology
can inadvertently exclude students who lack computer or writing skills.
problem for some non-technical students.
Interaction in ODL
more interaction provided, the better it would be for the learner, the learning and teaching process.
The concept of interaction is a core element of the seven principles of good practice in education
encouraging faculty/students contact
developing reciprocity and cooperation
engaging in active learning
providing quick feedback
emphasizing the amount of time dedicated to a task
communicating high expectations
respecting diversity
interactions “occur when objects and events
mutually influence one another. Interactivity . . . appears to emerge from descriptions of technology for establishing connections from point to point . . . in real time”
three types of interaction
student-content
student-teacher
student-student
Each type of interaction could have different effects on learners or the effectiveness of a course.
collaborative/cooperative learning and the use of computer networks
Divisions of interaction
varies with the type of technology
media or delivery system used
written (typed)
Computer mediated communication also represents a form of written interaction.
communication is in typed form, the interaction is much more complex
different style of written communication is required for network communication
audio (voice)
must structure and manage the discourse very skillfully in order to produce effective classes
since there is a high potential for confusion, chaos or boredom otherwise
sound quality of audio interaction
poor quality
reduce the effectiveness
video (face-to-face)
two-way video-conferencing systems
video interaction
Presumably other characteristics of the conferencing environment such as lighting, acoustics, room/seat layout, and also affect interaction
tactile (response units).
typical interaction: correspondence study was written assignments and feedback.
Coping with Interaction
provide guidelines for improving the degree of interactivity in ODL
A variety of techniques for creating learner participation and generating discussions are recommended for teleconferences
increasing learner involvement
increase interactivity involve development and teaching efforts
simple forms of interaction can take
considerable time to prepare and carry out
consider that the perception of interactivity may be as important as actual interaction
critical predictor of student satisfaction in the course was not the extent of personal interaction, but the perception of overall interaction.
Responsibility for creating interactivity in ODL
Distance teachers must build interactive sequences into their classes either in terms of simple question & answer sessions or more elaborate problem-solving or game activities
Some students report that they feel less involved in the class than other students
others find the opportunity to interact with the instructors and their classmates to be one of the best features of ODL
students who do not receive timely feedback on their online assignments from the instructors become very frustrated
Conclusion
The challenge however, is to ensure that
learning support in ODL is sufficiently addressed in striving towards a better distance learning experience
aim to be an effective functioning distance learning provider
Apparent neglect of the role of interaction which clearly link the student-instructor-content, and the learning environment need attention and revision.
need to understand that its educational products and services are to service the learner and
provide an encouraging educational experience.
design and offer ODL experience that encourages learning