Greetings Dr. Crews and colleagues:
Why is it important to ask online students to complete a self-analysis inventory?
Students may have never encountered this question throughout their academic life from any other source, nor given it specific thought. For instance, in a brick-and-mortar classroom, the environment is much more structured with respect to delivery method. There is an inherent assumption that a majority of students acclimate to a particular learning style or method. The advantage to live face-to-face instruction is that the adjustments to cater to customized student learning needs might be more spontaneous and thus questions or difficulties may be more quickly resolved.
The distance learning environment may be characterized by a more pronounced time (response) delay. In addition, students may be able to articulate inquiries more clearly vocally than verbally, leading to additional communication challenges. Often, cumulative experience in communicating with students leads to a more pervasive understanding of student learning styles as well as technology and time management challenges. Over time, teaching the same distance learning course will allow the instructor to test and perfect techniques that will benefit a majority of students in their learning.
Best,
Susan
Back at you Jim! I guess I can search for and post self-analysis links and links to sites with best practices for making the most of your study time. No matter how advanced (or struggling) your student, they can always get better in being more efficient. That goes for me too!
Hi Debra:
If I had any great ideas, then I'd spill my gut. I do know that some students are challenged by certain aspects of certain assignments, so I try to head these problems off at the pass by posting announcements with assignment hints, posting PPTs with additional material, and emailing all students with clarifications.
I try to simplify the key aspects of the assignments and encourage students to use multiple sources, even including YouTube. If I can help them formulate search strings then they have a pretty good chance of success.
Highest regards,
Alan Grayson
A self-analysis inventory helps students decide if they are self-motivated enough to take an online class. The dropout rate for online classes is often higher than onground classes because while students have more flexibility to accomplish their work asynchonously, they often have competing demands such as work and family.
Some students learn more by doing than by hearing or reading. If that is the case, then online classes will be more challenging for them.
When I first started college it was easier than high school in that attendance was not always taken and there were not as many spot quizzes or homework requirements that had to be turned in daily. Online learning doesn't even have as much supervision as onground college courses, so the students that can set and keep deadlines for themselves will do better.
Students that need a deeper sense of community also are challenged by online classes, although discussion boards, group projects, and online chats provide some sense of community.
One college for which I teach combats student attrition by 1) student advisor interaction with students to evaluate their readiness for online classes, 2) a trial online class to get teh students famililarized with the learning environment and getting teh students used to meeting deadlines, and 3) friendly reminders from instructors as to missing asssignments.
A self-analysis inventory provides students with a specific measure of their strengths and weaknesses that help them manage their expectations. Students might come to the online environment with limited technical skills and this could shape their overall expectations for success in the course. Yet, through the self-analysis inventory, there may be other skill areas where they are strong. By finding out where their precise strengths lie, they can strengthen their self-motivation .
Furthermore, students who know exactly which skill areas need support are more informed when asking for assistance. Instead of simply saying, "I need help," but not knowing what help they are asking for, students can make specific requests that set the stage for a more positive learning experience. They may feel the instructor is more responsive as a result of being empowered through the self-analysis inventory to make more precise requests for help.
Having students complete an online self assessment sets up a pattern of them taking responsibility for their own learning. It also provides a framework for assessment in general, not simply self assessment.
I honestly struggle in this area because I often have associate students who are new to the school, new the the online environment, new to self-directed learning, new to using APA formatting standards, new to submit work in a timely fashion, when there are specific deadlines through the week, and new to working on collaborative project. Motivation is not a problem, they are all excited to be there, until it becomes information overload when the students have to attend the live chat or at least review the archives, keep up with reading announcements weekly (which include links to tutorials on researching for articles in the library and how to find tutors), knowing what additional supplemental materials are posted in the instructor files, responding to other student in the discussion board, and using references to support their opinions.
In week one, first chat is totally devoted to the mechanical aspect of navigating through the class and online campus, demonstrating how easy it is to use the APA template each time they work on an individual portion, how to post to the discussion boards and upload assignment, to how to access the instant messaging feature for office hours and live chat archives, how to contact technical support and student advisor, where to go for references in the library, and how to set up an appointment for a lab or tutoring session in the learning center.
Despite these efforts, one-fourth of the class withdraws by the end of week two for reasons that are usually unknown to me. So, as a faculty member who provide their own assessment on determining if the students are prepared and a method of showing students what areas they need to work on if they have some challenges, what esle can I do to provide support to the student experience and to increase their skills set to become successful online learners?
I am totally at a loss at this point on what else I can do. Any suggestions?
This helps the instructor better help students prepare for success in an online course. The assessment will also show when students may need help or even identify weaknesses for which help can be recommended. Instructors can assist students with getting off to a better start by using the self analysis to carefully guide students from self analysis to self help to success.
Dr. Crews,
It is extremely important to ask online students to complete a self-analysis inventory to ensure that they succeed in online classes. From my experience, I know that many students sign-up for online classes thinking that they are much easier compared to face-to-face because all the assessments are open-book. But, they do not realize that online classes are so much more involved because 1. you need to have the capability to learn and use a new technology (the online platform; 2. you need to have a good sense of time-management and be self-motivated; 3. you need to be comfortable in navigating the online classroom and finding everything there, and 4. you need to be an independent person who can study and learn without outside supervision. Thus, it is very important that students are told in details about the involvement and dedication any online class needs from them, and that they are also told to complete the self-analysis inventory which will convince them whether to take an online course or not.
Thank You,
Srabasti Dutta
Joanna,
I love that you work on self regulation in an online course. That is so important.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Eric,
Good point! It is true that students do perceive online learning is easier. I am not sure why they think it.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Personal self-analysis of what motivates each individual is important. I use this in healthcare in a clinical setting, online, and in F2F classes. An individual’s perception based on what they might have heard, what they thought, etc. might be very different than what is actually required and how someone learned to do things 10-2-30 years ago is different in our online platforms and deadlines. Some believe it is easier because it is online. Some are not internally motivated and just want grades. Some are auditory or kinesthetic learns and no one ever asked them before how do you learn? Some have no background in the course content and wonder why they are struggling with an advanced statistics course and assessing readiness and learning style helps proactive planning in a positive manner. Eric Oestmann
Asking online students to complete a self-analysis inventory can be helpful in many ways.
Self-analysis looks at motivation, time management, problem solving, critical thinking, learning style, and previous knowledge of content to help support the learner identify strengths and areas to improve to be most successful online. I speak to my students about self-efficacy, emotional intelligence (EQ) and self-regulation as well as learning new skills before focusing on the content in each class as proactively learning to learn and think is the foundation in all we do.
Great unit,
Joanna Oestmann
Jeanette,
Remembering to educate them on what they don't know and how to navigate.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Carol,
You make a great point. This is a time to have them realize when they have problems before it becomes to overwhelming. You are their warning system so to speak.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Erin,
You are so right! They don't know what they don't know! This is so important. They need a reality check!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lakithia,
Yes, then it is up to you to develop resources to help them address their issues. Or, you may have resources already developed by your institution that will help them with weaknesses. It is up to the educator to know about the resources.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Merle,
You make a great point about giving students confidence. So many times we pick out the weaknesses but never say a thing about strengths and how to use them.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Roshawna,
You are so right! There is nothing wrong with humor and fun in learning!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
James,
What do you do with that data? That is an important piece of the puzzle.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
