Tom,
That is so important to your planning for the course. You are making the important changes that reflect the students you have in your course. It is not a cookie cutter, it is student driven. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Tom,
Great points. It is important to be able to identify barriers to online learning. Online learning may not be a good fit at this time. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Edna,
Great points. I find that students technology skills are very shallow and they need to know that. Theya re told over and over they are tech savvy when they have very limited skills.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lauree,
Great post !!!! You do want students to be able to self assess themselves. It is a professional skill as well as a academic one.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In addition to helping students improve their self-awareness, asking them to take the self-analysis inventory and doing some follow up on it will probably provide some Hawthorne effect as students feel they are being paid attention to.
Robert: But education is an investment for a lifetime not or a 'season'.
Andrea: Well, said Robert. I advise my students education is something which may not be taken away. Additionally, it is well worth the time and effort spent in school for the results in the working world.
Dr. Wilkinson: Robert,
You make a great point. That is a great topic to discuss. it is teaching students to organize and prioritize. We don't offer a course in that. . . yet!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Andrea: Hi Dr. Wilkinson and Robert, In a course I instruct titled Academic and Professional Success, we include a unit where students are required to fill out a goals template focusing on academic, professional and personal goals. I find students are able to look at current, mid-range and long-term goals when completing this assignment. It has students think outside the box as far as goals are concerned.
Andrea Millazzo-Boban
Discussion Main Posting
It is crucial professors request online students to complete a self-analysis inventory to see where students are with individual time management. Students should complete some type of electronic self-analysis in orientation to assess readiness in relevance to time management skills.
Asking students to take an self-analysis will allow the instructor to understand the strengths and opportunities for the student. The instructor can tailor topics to meet the needs of the collective whole based on the information provided by the students. The inventory will also allow the students to understand how much time and effort they will need to contribute to ensure their own success as well.
I will develop an inventory based on existing online readiness inventories and questions specific to the course taught. The instrument will help to customize my instructions to the learning preferences of each student. If there are noticeable gaps in the students' education, I will suggest additional resources such as the Learning Center, Tutoring, and Student Services. The survey will help me to design my teaching materials in different formats ( audio, video, text, synchronous, and asynchronous, and so on).
The idea of students completing an online self-study is noble. I have a URL that I normally share with students during the first live chat. Online is not for everyone. The initial student survey will enable me to tailor instructors to my students. The author of this course suggested the following in Module 1: "Develop an inventory based on existing online readiness inventories and questions specific to the course taught." Bu developing a survey based on my current course, I can gauge the readiness of my online students. This will help to refer my students to Student Services, the Learning Center, and Tutoring in case they need some help or if they have some learning disabilities. Thanks, Tom
I fully support the idea of asking online students to complete a self-analysis inventory.
It would be incorrect for online instructors to think that because of the rapid advance of technology, all students are familiar with the computer and use of the Internet. Surprisingly as it may sound to some, the level of computer literacy among students who want to study online stretches from zero knowledge to very advanced. Therefore, it is important that students analyze their skills to see where they are and if they will be able to use the resources that are required to pursue their studies online. A self-analysis will also help the instructor in determining the student’s ability and what help might be needed to bring the student to where he or she needs to be with the required technology to get the most out of his or her learning experience.
It is important that online students complete a self-analysis. Students who are not familiar with the basic computer software and how to use the Internet will not be able to take full advantage of all of the benefits of online learning. Rather than focusing on their studies alone, they will have to learn how to use the required technology which more than likely will result in frustration, wasted energy and stress for both student and Instructor.
Edna Murugan
I believe asking students to self-reflect encourages them to be honest with themselves about the areas they may have strengths and weaknesses. This allows them to make adjustments in order to succeed in their online classes.
One introverted student may have excellent written skills but lacks in 'reaching out for help'. While another extroverted student may be very social and willing to 'reach out with questions', has poor time management skills. Often when we are aware of our weaknesses, we can then begin to make changes that can be beneficial.
It is in the best interest for both the student and instructor to be aware of the student's tendencies so that the best learning instruction and learning environment can be established for the new online learner !
Thomas,
Great point about curriculum. We can let students use that as an excuse not to succeed in the course. It does happen though.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Thomas,
Don't you think it allows you to find resources that can be targeted to help students improve their skills sets for learning? I think for some reason it is easier to address this online.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Shannon,
You are right about time management. I have them do a calendar exercise to have them see how much time they truly spend in online learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sherrilyn,
Great point. I also think that students that work on their strengths and weaknesses in the online environment improves their skills in f2f courses. These skills transfer!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Christopher,
You are right. You have to help students focus on their weaknesses and their strengths and strategies to help them be successful in the course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Loriann,
True, the idea of knowing your student is important. You can point them in the right direction to help them take responsibility for their learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Derek,
You are right. A self-analysis will show students that they don't know what they don't know. It can help ease the transition in learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
