Effective Learner Support in ODL_SVGCC

Topic outline

• 

  General

  
  

  WELCOME

  Effective Learner Support in the Online and Distance Learning Environment course has us very excited about the possibilities that can emanate from engaging with the course:  new ideas? new challenges? new skills and competencies? new friendships? new career pathways? The list is endless.
  

  We have enjoyed designing this course to not only enable you appreciate learner support as an integrated service that draws faculty, administrators and ICT personnel together, but also to inject fresh enthusiasm in you as you provide this much needed support to the learner in the distance and online environment.

  We hope that you enjoy the journey over the next 6 weeks. We advise that you allocate at least 5 hours of study per week.  This we know will come with its challenges:  the pressures of work and demands of time, sometimes, may crowd into the time you have allocated to studies. To minimize on these, we advise that you schedule your study time and stick to it.

  We have given the course schedule and the assessment schedule to guide you. we have a variety of assessments such as quizzes per unit to check your learning, discussion Forums, group work and finally we have a written report that you will submit in unit 5. The pass mark is 50% and you will be awarded a certificate of participation upon successful completion of the course.

  We would like to assure you of support from a variety of sources. One is peer support. As you may already know, being able to give and receive feedback from a peer is a valuable attribute in higher education. Likewise, mastering the art of assessing your peers work is an honour. The other will be the support of your facilitator and course administrators.

  In your study, you will be asked to comment on each other's posts, largely about their understanding of concepts and practice. This will help you draw ideas and implications for your own practice!

  Should you find yourself dropping behind in your studies, please notify your facilitator as soon as possible, so that you can be supported to get back on track.

  We are committed to supporting you to successfully complete the course.  You may contact us through the mails given below.

  Kind regards,

  Facilitator: Beatrice Okoth        

  Email:  beatyakoth@gmail.com

  Course Manager:  Dr. Mairette Newman

  Email:  mnewman@col.org

  
  

  COURSE OVERVIEW

  Have you been providing support to the distance and online learner? How do you perceive the learner satisfaction with the support given? Is the learner support you are giving contributing to success of the programme goals? 

  Depending on how you answer the questions above, this course is for you!

  This short professional learning course intends to familiarize you with the unique factors that should be considered when building a culture of support for online and distance learners across an institution. The course will cover designing, developing and evaluating provision of learner support services in online and distance education programmes. It will also provide you with an opportunity to design and develop activities, materials, and practices suitable for a distance or online course you currently teach or a programme that you manage. The course activities are so designed that you may experience a sense of community and share with your peers a variety of academic and non-academic support activities, materials and practices that you will have developed throughout the course.

  
  

  COURSE AIM

  The aim of this course, Effective Learner Support in the Online and Distance Learning Environment is to equip you with the knowledge, skills and competencies to render, in an integrated manner, support to the learner in the open distance and online learning environment.
  

  
  

  COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

  Upon completion of the Effective Learner Support in the Online and Distance Learning Environment course you will be able to:

  1. Understand a range of leaner support services available for use in online and distance learning environment.
  2. Apply the principles of effective learner support services in facilitating the development and /or enhancing the existing learner support services in an online and distance learning environment.
  3. Develop activities, materials and practices, both academic and non-academic, to support online and distance learners before, during and after the course or programme.
  4. Review and improve the support available to online and distance learners in your institution.
  5. Promote a culture of learner support in your institution.

  This course is designed to run for 6 weeks. You will study a unit per week; therefore, you are encouraged to dedicate at least 5 hours per week for study.

  Below are the course schedule and assessment schedule for your reference:

  • Course Schedule Page
  • Assessment Schedule Page
  • Learning Journey:  We shall open 2 units at a time. We shall also leave the units open as we move to successive ones. This is to allow for flexibility. However, we advise that you study one unit per week so as to benefit from peer learning and also to meet timelines that shall be set for the group work in unit 3, the Discussion Forum 10 in unit 4, and the Assignment in unit 5.

    Lastly, we advise that you Mark as done, appropriately, every activity before you proceed to the next. 

    Best of luck in your studies!

  • You may now proceed and read any announcements then introduce yourself in ' Getting to know each other". This is an opportunity to know your coursemates. Drop a word for a fellow ?!

    Lastly, we request you participate in the pre-course survey before you start unit 1.

    Cheers!

    
    

  • Announcements Forum
  • Getting to know each other Forum
  • Pre-course survey questionnaire Feedback
• 

  UNIT 1

  
  

  I know most of you already know something about open and distance learning (ODL), and most of you are already practitioners with varying levels of expertise. This unit, in subunits 1.1 and 1.2, introduces the basics of ODL including its various realizations by different institutions. It then gives its characteristics. This is the knowledge that some of you are well versed with. Still, some of you may want to benefit from this knowledge, feel free to read them. Otherwise, you may go straight to subunits 1.3 and 1.4 which introduce the core of the course, the concept of Learner support services.
  

  Make sure you attempt the quiz at the end of the unit as it adds to your overall grade for the course.

                                                                                                                                       
  

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    All open and distance learning (ODL) institutions have some systems and processes in place that facilitate learner enrollment, provision of learning resources and other instructional materials, administration of assessments, and giving of feedback, all of which are realized through the provision of learner support services. However, to achieve this, a practitioner needs a clear understanding of the evolving nature of open, distance, and eLearning and the equally changing needs and challenges of the open and distant learner.

    Learner support which in the early days of open and distance learning was primarily systemic has since grown to cover the cognitive and affective needs of the distant learner. Consequently, for any ODL program's success, institutions need to approach learner support service as an integrated system that brings together various actors in education administration, technology, counseling, pedagogy, and academics.

     This unit introduces the concept of learner support as a comprehensive, integrated approach to supporting ODL students by providing a suite of services and forms of assistance (beyond the delivery of content) designed to help them succeed.

    The unit outline is as follows:

    
    

    1.1   Overview of ODL: Nature and functions

    1.2   Characteristics of ODL and implications for Learner support

    1.3   Learner support services in Open distance, and online learning environments

    1.4   Learner support personnel

    
    

    By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
    

    1. Describe the unique characteristics of ODL settings and implications for the provision of learner support.
    2. Identify the range of functions and services that comprise learner support (informational and institutional support).
    3. Explain the role of the learner support team in providing cognitive, affective, and systemic types of support.
    4. Describe the learner support services available at selected institutions.

    
    

    As you complete this unit you are required to read the following chapters/articles:

    1. Learner support within a Learning environment in 6.6 Learner support – Teaching in a Digital Age: Third Edition – General (bccampus.ca).
    2. Ludwig-hardman, S., & Dunlap, J. C. (2003). Learner Support Services for Online Students: Scaffolding for success. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v4i1.131  (Read the sub-components of learner support such as scaffolding, feedback, counseling other students, and why learner support is important).

    
    

  • LESSON 1.1- Overview of ODL: Nature and Functions

    

    
    

     

    What is your understanding of ODL? What is the unique characteristic of ODL in your institution?
    

    This section introduces you to the concept of open and distance learning and the various types of ODL. It aims at helping you understand the distinctive type of ODL that your institution practices so that you will gauge its implications for learner support.

    Open and distance learning has been with us for many years and is subject to many meanings and interpretations. The terms “open and distance learning” (ODL) represent approaches that focus on opening access to education and training provision, freeing learners from the constraints of time and place, and offering flexible learning opportunities to individuals and groups of learners. The terms are used to cover any situation when the student and teacher are not in the same place.

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Explain the concept of open and distance learning.
    2. Describe the unique characteristics of ODL settings and implications for the provision of learner support.
    3. Identify the characteristics of the ODL learner.
    4. Identify the range of functions and services that comprise learner support.
    5. Explain the role of the learner support team in providing cognitive, affective, and systemic types of support.
  • What is Open and Distance Education? Page
  • What are the cross-cutting features of ODL? Page
  • Discussion Forum 1
  • Evolution of ODL Page
  • LESSON 1.2- Characteristics of ODL and implications for Learner support

    
    

    In this lesson, we shall study the unique characteristics of open and distance learning that necessitate the provision of learner support services. We shall look at the distant learner, the process and the system of learning at a distance, and why its success is dependent on integrated learner support.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Discuss the characteristics of ODL learners.
    2. Develop the profile of an ODL learner which has implications for learner support.

  • Characteristics of ODL learners Page
  • Building the Learner profile of an ODL student Page
  • How institutions gather information on Learner profile Wiki
  • LESSON 1.3- Learner support services in Open, distance, and online learning environments

    
    

    In this lesson, we shall study the concept of Learner support service in ODL, its nature and functions, and the personnel involved. This will help us appreciate LSS as an integrated approach to supporting the distant learner using both human and non-human (technological) approaches. The main goal of open and distance learning is to promote self-study or independent learning in the absence of regular face-to-face human intervention. Tait (2000) categorizes this support into cognitive, affective, and systemic domains. It starts at admission and goes on even after the learner has exited the program, hence it is a continuous process.

    
    

    
    

    Since many new students to distance education courses and programs lack at least some component of these skills and attitudes in the quote above, it falls on the education delivery institution to provide support for students as they gain these critical skills—or risk the high costs to both students and institutions of student drop out  (Brindley, 2014).
    

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Discuss what learner support is and how to ensure its effectiveness in the ODL setting.
    2. Distinguish between learner support in an online environment and that given in an ODL setting.
       

    
    
  • What is leaner support service in ODL? Page
  • What are the functions and benefits of LSS? Page
  • Discussion Forum 2
  • What is LSS in an online environment? How different is it from LSS in other ODLs? Page
  • The future of Learner support services Page
  • Discussion Forum 3
  • Self-Reflection Questions Forum
  • LESSON 1.4 - Learner support personnel

    
    

    In the previous section, we looked at the various needs of the distant learner. We have also looked at the functions of learner support services in Open and distance education and in an online learning environment. We shall now attempt to list the personnel that may provide this service in an institution.
    

    
    

    This list is not exhaustive but tries to demonstrate that learner support service cuts across many sub sectors in a learning institution.
    

    
    

    1. Read Sharkhel (2015: 5-7) here Sharkhel who is a Director, the Directorate of Open and Distance Learning University of Kalyani, West Bengal, draws from his experience in a setup where ODL is the norm to discuss the specific roles performed in an ODL setup.

     From here, you can examine your institution and suggest the roles you may incorporate to improve the LSS.

    2. Read Learner Support in Open and Distance Learning (col.org) pg 9-14

    You will learn about the roles played by personnel in administrative support,      counseling support, tutorial, and peer support.  The personnel are given as follow:

    • Part-time tutors
    • Full-time academic staff
    • Counselors and advisers.
    • Administrative staff.
    • Library staff.
    • The staff of collaborating institutions.
    • Other learners.
    • Friends and family.

    With the use of web technologies, there will be ICT staff such of LMS system specialists, web programmers, server assistants, etc.

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Identify the characteristics of a good learner support service you can implement in your context.
       

  • What are the characteristics of a good Learner support service? Page
  • Self-Reflection Questions Forum
  • Unit 1 quiz
• 

  UNIT 2

  
  

  In unit 1, you learned about learner support in ODL and in an online environment. Do you have a role in learner support?

  In this unit, we have narrowed down to the role of supporting the distant learner within the course. While tutors would benefit from it, it's important for all players in learner support to learn about this to enhance the integrated support that the learner needs. As usual, let us learn with and from each other.

  • 
    

    In this unit, you will be introduced to strategies and practices that provide support within the course. We shall look into the role of the tutor in an online and distance learning environment.  In addition, we shall learn about the skills and competencies expected of the tutor for the successful delivery of the course. These skills are those used in teaching, technical support, social support, assessments and examination.

    The unit outline is as follows:
    

    2.1   Tutoring learners in an ODL setting.
    

    2.2   Competencies of an online tutor
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
    

    1. Recognize the role of the ODL tutor in an online environment.
    2. Discuss the skills and competencies of an open and distance learner tutor.
    3.  Use a range of approaches to support individuals and groups in a distant and online environment.
    4. Locate the place of online tutoring within an integrated learner support service.

    
    

    
    

    As you study this unit, you are required to read the following chapters/articles:

    1. ‘Learner Support in Open and Distance Learning (col.org) Learner support | OER Africa   From https://oasis.col.org/items/f19c01e1-f23d-45dd-be3d-e8ca0fad5d17   Read  (pg.  3.1  -  3.10)
    2. (PDF) Applying Best Practice Online Learning, Teaching, and Support to Intensive Online Environments: An Integrative Review (researchgate.net) Page 3-4

  • LESSON 2.1- Tutoring learners in open and distance Learning

                                         
    

    
    
    

    
    

    

    
    

    In the previous unit, we saw the evolution of technology in the delivery of ODL. In this lesson, we want to look at the role of the tutor in delivering a distance education course.   Does the role of the tutor change from that played in a conventional face-to-face classroom?

    If so, what is the new role?
    

    What should a tutor do to effectively play this role?

    Let us study this lesson and find the answers.
    

    
    

    
    

    Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

    1. Discuss the competencies expected of an open and distant education tutor.
    2. Recognize the skill set necessary for online tutoring.
    3. Discuss the role of an online tutor within the course.

  • Tutoring in an online and ODL environment Page
  • Discussion Forum 4
  • LESSON 2.2- Competencies of an Online Tutor

    
    

    
    

    Teacher support online involves effective monitoring of student progress, anticipating and resolving key learning queries, and finally establishing and maintaining rapport with the learners.

    

    Collectively, these kinds of competencies shape the effectiveness of online instructors and, in turn, the student experience.

    
    

    
    

    Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:                                                            
    

    1. Discern the various skills and abilities an online tutor needs to possess.

    
    

  • Providing learner support in ODL Page
  • Discussion Forum 5
  • Unit 2 Quiz
• 

  UNIT 3

  
  

  This unit is important as it introduces the role of other players other than the teacher in supporting the learner. It emphasizes the role of other learners and support group outside the institution in building a community of learners.

  You will be given a group collaborative activity that will be graded.  You will be given one week to accomplish the task. Let us have fun as we explore the group dynamics.

  • 

                                 

    

    We learned in unit 1 that learners in online and open and distance environments often face challenges with the effective use of technology, personal commitments, and feelings of isolation which affect their engagement with the course and overall participation in learning.
    

    How do we mediate this within the course? How do we build a community of learners? By the end of this unit, we'll answer these questions.

    The unit outline is as follows:
    

    3.1   The Concept of a Community of Learners.
    

    3.2   Strategies used to create a Community of Learners in Open Distance and eLearning.
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
    

    1. Explain the concept of ‘community of learners in online learning and distance learning environments.
    2. Discuss the strategies used to implement community of learners in a course.
    3. Review a lesson or unit in a course you are currently teaching to determine the suitability of learner activities in it with regards to building a community of learners. 
       
    4. Appreciate the strategies which make online and distant learning environments less threatening to first-time users.
    5. Design beginning and end of course/program survey on learner support.

    
    

    
    

    1. Konstantinidis, Angelos; Goria, Cecilia. (2016). Cultivating a community of learners in a distance learning postgraduate course for language professionals. In Papadima-Sophocleous, Salomi; Bradley, Linda; Thouësny, Sylvie (Eds), CALL communities and culture – short papers from EUROCALL 2016 (pp. 230-236). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2016.eurocall2016.567
    2. Garrison, R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2010). The first decade of the community of inquiry framework: A retrospective. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(1-2), 5-10.

  • LESSON 3.1: The Concept of a Community of Learners

    
    

    The culture of learning is positively affected when educators and students develop a true community of learners. A community of learners can be defined as a group of people who share values and beliefs and who actively engage in learning from one another—learners from teachers, teachers from learners, and learners from learners.
    

    They thus create a learning-centered environment in which students and educators are actively and intentionally constructing knowledge together. Learning communities are connected, cooperative, and supportive. Peers are interdependent in that they have joint responsibility for learning and share resources and points of view while sustaining a mutually respectful and cohesive environment.                                        

    
    

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Explain the term “community of learners’’ in relation to ODL.
    2. Discuss the importance of a community of learners in ODL.
    3. Discuss the theoretical framework that informs the formation of a community of learners. 
    4. Design an introduction of yourself as part of building a community of learners- social presence.

  • What is a Community of Learners? Page
  • Theoretical Frameworks of Building a Community of Learners Page
  • Discussion Forum 6
  • LESSON 3.2- Strategies used to create community of learners in ODL
    

    
    

    In this lesson, we shall look at the specific activities that a tutor can create to help build a community of learners in an ODL program/course.

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Identify the various strategies one can use to create a community of learners in an ODL setting.

    2. Discuss why it’s important to have a community of learners.

    3. Design a lesson with activities that help establish a community of learners.

  • Creating a Community of Learners Page
  • Discussion Forum 7
  • Assignment 3 (Case Study)
  • Unit 3 Quiz
  • Self-Reflection Questions Forum
• 

  UNIT 4

  
  

  • 
    

    
    

    Delivering a successful program in a distance and online environment requires a significant effort in planning and executing by an institution. This unit discusses the administration's role in providing learner support: issues of provision and access to technology, health and well-being of learners, academic support beyond the course; and a sense of belongingness or community beyond the program. It shall also look at how administrators can support learners to access financing, counseling, and inclusion.

    The unit outline is as follows:
    

    1. Administrative support in online and distance learning environments 1

    a) Academic support: - Pre-admission counseling, admission, library services.

    b) Technical/ infrastructural support: - Navigation of technology/orientation/ production of learning resources

    2. Administrative support in online and distance learning environments 2

     a) Health and well-being support: - Personal counseling and career support.

    b) Sense of belongingness and community: - interaction with peers via social networking, and alumni groups

    3. Storage and maintenance of student records.

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
    

    1. Discuss how learner support can be embedded in the structure of a given open and distance learning program.
    2. Examine the institutional services that support open and distant learners to succeed in their studies.
    3. Propose how existing policies can be adapted to meet the demands of online and distance learning environments.
    4. Discuss the security  and use of student data
    5. Critique existing Copyright issues

    
    

    
    

    
    

    As you complete this unit, you are required to read the following chapters/articles:
    
    

    1. Janine Monica Lim, “Administrative Essentials for Online Programs,” The Journal of Adventist Education 80:1 (January-March 2018):  Page 4-10. Available at https://jae.adventist.org/en/2018.1.2.
    2.   Calvert, J. (2001). Deakin University: Going online at a Dual Mode University. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 1(2). Read Pg 59-79  
           Available at https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v1i2.20   
       

  • LESSON 4.1- Administrative support in online and distance learning environment

    
    

    
    

    Watch this video by Dr. Bates on Implementing Online learning  

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Appreciate the role of the administration in providing learner support.
    2. Discuss academic support as one of the kinds of support the administration should offer to the learner.  

    
    

    
    

  • Role of the Institution Administration in Open Distance and eLearning Page
  • Policy to guide Learner support in Open distance and eLearning environment. Page
  • Discussion Forum 8
  • LESSON 4.2 - Administrative support in online and distance learning environments

    
    

    This is a continuation of lesson 4.1. We have looked at academic support that is given by the administration of an institution to learners in an online and distance education environment. In this lesson, we shall look at technical/infrastructural support; counseling and career support; and finally, health and wellness support.
    
    

    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Appreciate the role of the administration in providing learner support.
    2. Discuss the kinds of support the administration should offer to the learner: 

    • Technical/infrastructural support
    • Health and well-being support
    • Advising/counseling
      

  • Proceed to learn about other kinds of administrative support in online and distance learning environments as listed in the learning outcomes above by clicking here.
    

  • Administrative support in ODL - Cont' Page
  • Discussion Forum 9
  • Graded Discussion Forum 10
  • Unit 4 Quiz
• 

  UNIT 5

  
  

  • 
    

    In this unit, we are going to look into mechanisms and strategies for implementing and assessing quality in ODL and eLearning, and the implications of this to the kind of learner support provided to the students.

    The unit outline is as follows:
    

    1. Quality Assurance in ODL.
    2. Monitoring and Measuring Learner Achievement in ODL
    3. Quality Assurance in Learner Support Services

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this unit, you should be able to:
    

    1. Explain the concept of quality assurance as applied in ODL.
    2. Demonstrate how learner achievement can be monitored and measured. 
    3. Assess the quality of your institution’s learner support system and suggest improvements.
    4. Identify the factors that impact the quality of learner support provided to students in ODL.

    
    

    
    

    As you complete this unit you are required to read the following chapters/articles:
    

    1. Quality Assurance Toolkit for Distance Higher Education Institutions and Programmes.
    2. Open & Distant Learning Quality Council (2012). ODLQC standards. England: Author From  https://www.odlqc.org.uk/odlqc-standards.

    
    

  • LESSON 5.1 – Quality Assurance in ODL

    
    

    
    

    The value of ODL in any institution is primarily determined by the quality of Learner Support Services offered to students among other factors. Many quality assurance organizations have developed various strategies to ensure quality in distance education. Some believe that distance education quality assurance practices are essentially the same as those used in traditional education. Others argue that because distance education challenges conventional assumptions, the current quality assurance mechanisms are insufficient to ensure the quality of distance education. In this unit, we’ll look into the concept of quality, quality assurance, and quality control in ODL. We’ll also discuss strategies for maintaining quality in ODL.

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
    

    1. Define the terms quality and quality assurance as used in ODL
    2. Identify various challenges and strategies for enhancing quality in ODL

  • Concept of Quality and Quality Assurance as Applied in ODL Page
  • Discussion Forum 11
  • Quality assurance in a digital environment and Challenges Facing Quality In ODL Page
  • LESSON 5.2 – Monitoring And Measuring Learner Achievement In ODL

    
    

    
    

    The purpose of monitoring and measuring learner achievement is to accomplish three things: (1) arrive at defensible conclusions about students' ability, achievement, or interests, (2) gauge student progress toward specified educational goals, and (3) improve teaching and learning among others.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;

    1. Discuss the need for monitoring and measuring learner achievement in ODL
    2. Identify tools that can be used in monitoring and measuring learner achievement in ODL.
       

  • What is monitoring in education, and how can it be done in ODL? Page
  • LESSON 5.3 – Quality Assurance In Learner Support Services

    
    

    
    

    Should the quality of open distance and eLearning education be assessed using the same criteria as that of traditional F2 F education?

    This debatable question has attracted scholars, some of who have argued that the assessment of the quality of these two types of programs is basically the same and only differs when it comes to the meaning given to the criteria and the instruments used to make measurements (Padilla, 2005; Marúm-Espinosa, 2011).

    Others, such as Damme (2002) disagree. He observes that Distance Education challenges conventional quality assurance because of the broad range of organizational, pedagogical, and methodological features which characterize it. This position has been supported by the World Bank (2002) “it is doubtful that the philosophy, principles, and standards customarily applied in evaluating and accrediting campus-based programs can be used without major adjustments for assessing the quality and effectiveness of online courses and other modalities of distance education.

    In this lesson, we shall look at efforts by different bodies to come up with modalities of quality assurance for Distance learning including online learning. Specifically, we shall look at the framework for assessing the quality of learner support.
    

    
    

    By the end of this lesson, you should be able to;

    1. Identify the criteria for evaluating distance education and eLearning.
       
    2. Assess the quality of Learner support in your institution.
       

    Read the Quality Assurance toolkit for Distance Higher Education Institutions and Programmes by CoL pg 3-10

  • How Is Quality In Distance Education Measured? Page
  • Performance Indicators for Quality Assurance Page
  • Using PI to Assess the Quality of Learner Support Page
  • Assignment 5: Assessment of QA of Learner support services in your institution
  • Post-course survey questionnaire Feedback