Podcast. Although it might be efficient to set up a fully automated, fully functioning learning space, minded by HAL from 2001, A Space Odyssey, very few students will actually finish their courses in that charming, fully sanitized and free from human frailty utopia. Why is that? That’s a good question.
Play the podcast.
The problem boils down to boredom, self-doubt, and lack of motivation. The more human the environment, the more likely it is to engage the student’s emotions, and make them really CARE about their course.
Further, students become bored, impatient, or even angry when they believe that their time is being wasted, or that their studies are irrelevant. Connecting to a human being often means taking the time to “listen” in the highly visual, often text-centered virtual environment. It also means taking the time to design activities that will maximize the students’ points of contact with each other, seek and discover what they have in common.
By doing so, one establishes connection between course content and the outside world – the world that means something to the students. Ideally, the connections will tie to students’ interests, goals, and experience.
about the queen's assistant
- susan smith nash
- Interdisciplinary background, energy industry professional (petroleum geologist), diversified, with B.S. in Geology, graduate studies in Economics, M.A. and Ph.D. in English. In e-learning since the early 1990s, Nash is involved in e-learning and hybrid learning at universities, corporations, and not-for-profits. Focus: new approaches (e-learning, m-learning, technical, academic, and creative writing, turnarounds and innovative programs, simulations, energy (petroleum and renewable), open courseware / MOOCs, trades/career training). E-Learning Success (2012), E-Learners Survival Guide (2010), Moodle 1.9 Teaching Techniques (Packt Pub, 2010); Klub Dobrih Dijanj (Ljubljana, 2009); Excellence in College Teaching and Learning (CC Thomas,2008) co-authored with George Henderson. Current project: The Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
What's Wrong with a Dehumanized E-Learning Space, Anyway?
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