Effective Learner Support in the Online and Distance Learning Environment_CPCE

It is evident that a good learner support service does not only call for technical infrastructural support, but looks into what Thorpe (2001) has grouped as:

• Identity - The learner has the opportunity to interact with learner support services personnel on a one-to-one basis
• Individualization- The interaction that the learner has with learner support services personnel is individualized, based on the specific needs and goals of the learner.
• Interpersonal interaction-The interaction is mutual and reciprocal, with learning and performance as goals rather than simply information delivery.

In a learner support services environment, these elements can be realized through the practice of scaffolding.

Lesson Summary

This lesson has looked into the concept of Learner support service in ODL as an integrated approach which brings various players in an education institution such as administrators, tutors, counsellors, peers, families, and ICT technologists etc. together to offer systemic, cognitive and affective support to the learner.

References:

Bates, A.W. (2015) Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning Vancouver BC: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-9952692-0-0

Bates: YouTube video on  (47) 6. Learner Support - YouTube

Brindley J.E, Crawley A., and Peters, B. ( 2017).Student Support Services for Online Learning Re-Imagined and Re-Invigorated: Then, Now and What’s to Come retrieved on 21/11/2022

Brindley, J.E. (2014). Learner support in online distance education. In Zawacki-Richter, O. & Anderson, T. (Eds.). Online distance education – towards a research agenda (pp 287-310). http://microblogging.infodocs. eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Online_Distance_Education.pd

Croft, M. (1991). Report on round table on student support services (pp. 1-56). Vancouver, CANADA: The Commonwealth of Learning. Pg 8-19

Commonwealth of Learning and Asian Development Bank. (1999). Learner support in open and distance learning: training toolkit. Vancouver, British Columbia: Commonwealth of Learning.

Kishore, S. (1998): Student Support and Quality Indicators in Distance Learning, Indian Journal of Open Learning, 7(2), p.205-212.

 Sarkhel, J. K. (2015) Learner Support in Open and Distance Learning retrieved from

(PDF) Learner Support in Open and Distance Learning (researchgate.net)