Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i31Nsdm10629; Thu, 1 Apr 2004 18:54:49 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2004 18:54:49 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <a05200f03bc9240bec3be@[192.168.1.101]> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Jennifer Elmore <jennifer@jelmore.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1316] RE: : participating online or at a distance X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Status: O Content-Length: 4095 Lines: 95 Hi all. Reponding to Marie's question about the fate of non-tuition-based and non-credit online classes... The classes that I've developed have generally been free to participants, and they have not involved university credit. (Most participants, however, have been able to secure professional development credit within their organization or region for their work.) Thus, the standard incentives for participation, associated with a tuition-based or credit-bearing course, do not apply to my students. I try to provide a different kind of "incentive scaffolding" to support participation in free, non-credit courses. Most often, this support structure involves (ironically enough) flexibility as well as attention to participants' immediate and pressing professional dilemmas/questions. When starting a new course, I try to focus on folks' (other) incentives for participation. Raising the incentives issue actively and early - and revisiting it regularly with the whole group and with individuals - seems to improve retention and ongoing involvement. Here are a few tips that I've found useful: -In general, try to make connections between course content and specific issues participants are encountering in their professional lives. -When the course commences, invite participants to identify 2-3 key questions (or areas of interest) that they would like to pursue in the course/that they hope this course will resolve. -Help participants tailor course activities to more directly address and pursue their questions. -Follow up with participants regularly re: their progress in these areas. -Suggest additional resources to support participants' investigations. -Connect individual participants (whose questions are similar) - in order to build community around "like" issues. Jennifer Jennifer Elmore, M.S.Ed. Education Consultant http://jelmore.com >Hi everyone, > >Actually, I have to agree with Janet that if at all possible, it >might be good for there to be at least one opportunity for >participants to get together - and I fully acknowledge that this is >not always possible - and it might not even be the point of that >interaction (i.e.: developing a distance course exactly BECAUSE >folks cannot be face to face. > >But my father-in-law, a long-time University Prof in sociology, is >now doing a couple types of distance learning - one form in which >the participants come together 3 times in 3 different locations of >the country - and he does say that this type of DL has been the most >successful. > >What also jumps to mind for me with the course above is that, as >David noted in his reply, this course is tuition-based, credit >bearing, etc. But all that said, not all courses can be this way, >not all people could participate in this way - so what might be the >fate of courses that don't have these 'support structures'? > >marie cora > >>From: Janet Isserlis <Janet_Isserlis@Brown.edu> >>Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov >>To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> >>Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1272] : participating online or at a distance >>Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 12:23:03 -0500 (EST) >> >>One thing I wonder about, too, is face to face interaction. I was >>peripherally part of a distance course last spring out of >>Lancaster, UK, and believe that participants (all within the UK) >>had an opportunity to meet together at the beginning and end of the >>course. (If anyone from that course is online, please jump in and >>correct anything I've mis-understood). >> >>Obviously, face to face meetings aren't possible in many instances, >>but when we're talking about regional learning, it seems to make >>sense to bring people together to start building the connections >>they'll need and want to maintain electronically. >> >>other thoughts? >> >>Janet Isserlis > >_________________________________________________________________ >Free up your inbox with MSN Hotmail Extra Storage. Multiple plans >available. >http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=hotmail/es2&ST=1/go/onm00200362ave/direct/01/
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