Response Week 3
Tony Reetz
The Questions:
1. What have you learned so far about the course material, about
what it takes to learn the content via an online course as
opposed to in a traditional professional development class, and
about yourself?
2. If you were asked to explain why you would prefer to take the
course online as opposed to in a traditional professional
development class, or in a traditional professional development
class as opposed to as an online course, which format would be
your preference and why?
Reflections on the Effectiveness of Different Content Presentation Modes Upon Various Aspects of My Learning
Impact of Delivery Models
The table below compares the relative impact upon my learning of four modes of delivery: the traditional professional development class; the online ASDO course; the modified distance ed OCE course; and an informal, independent learner-initiated study.
| traditional | asdo | oce | independent | |
| instructor interaction | fair to good | bad to poor | very good | none |
| cost | high | high | low | learner dependent |
| peer interaction | high | low | high | none |
| effective presentation | instructor dependent | media dependent | 3-4 meetings | learner dependent |
| scheduling | fixed | flexible | flexible | flexible |
| materials | instructor dependent | media dependent | textbook fair | learner dependent |
| deadline pressure | high | medium/low | high | need basis |
| homework | substantial | substantial+ | substantial | need basis |
| learning environment | high | many distractions | many distractions | many distractions |
| accountability | high | low | high | none |
| learner control | none | low | low | high |
| travel time | added expense | none | little | low |
| amount of learning | high | low | medium | high |
| good impact | 53% | 15% | 69% | 23% |
| bad impact | 31% | 23% | 7% | 30% |
| coefficient of impact | +22 | -8 | +62 | -7 |
Other elements not listed here, such as clothing (the PJ factor), were not listed as they are not as important to me.
Discussion
If my home situation was more conducive to study (read "fewer chores, especially during harvest and preparation for winter") I could rate online, distance ed, and independent learning higher. Cost of independent learning could also be rated higher, depending upon the materials needed. I found books that I could have purchased instead of the $49 ASDO course for much less money, and they may have been more effective. The amount of learning for the OCE course is limited by the subject of the learning: my own experiences and makeup. If the course was more content heavy, I would obviously be learning more.
I have been spending much more time on the OCE portion of this course than upon the ASDO portion. I've gotten two-thirds of the way through the Advanced Microsoft Word course and picked up very little.
Hardware has also been a deterrent for me to work at home. I'm using a PowerBook 1400cs/133 with 16megs of hard RAM (VM on @32megs) and it is frustrating.
Recommendations
I will probably take other online courses because of the flexibility in scheduling factor, although unless it is a requirement for pursuing a degree or salary advancement, I will be more picky about what I take. I will definitely continue to pursue independent learning, because I can have direct control over what I learn and the effectiveness of the materials used. I do well in the traditional professional development format, but see greater potential for maximum learning in a model that incorporates the best of a modified distance ed and independent delivery.