Questionnaires: Online Readiness

[James Kerr]

Just because a student knows how to tweet does not mean they know how to search a library catalog database, let alone determine primary sources.

[SueFolley]

It would be really interesting to know if there is any correlation between scores and student success, I wonder if any of these institutions do some follow up work on this? Also it would be interesting to know if any potential students were put off by taking the questionnaires and if so, what the reason was. It could have made them rethink their expectations about an online course, but alternatively they could have been put off by something which was easy to learn or a skill that they could develop as they go. I often think people are not fully ready for courses, but as long as the motivation to do well is there and there is a willingness to learn skills as they go, this should not put them off.

[Robert Davis]

I remain unconvinced by questionnaires regarding them as a blunt instrument at best. Thinking about this causes me to consider ‘readiness for learn’ first seeing the digital readiness as a slightly skewed perspective perhaps distracting us from wider considerations. In the end, some people are very good at questionnaires, some at learning, some at both.

Digital readiness sounds like a list of expectations which relies on previous learning. Any previous experience will, because of where we are with digital learning, be patchy at least. Designing courses and the educational experience requires that we take this into consideration. The mooc pathway is multidimensional and questionnaires  might only scratch the surface of an imaginary path. Sue’s idea about engagement and participation seems critical and on a wider scale, we see this in action with our own mooc.

 

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[DaveCrome]

Though the questionnaires have their limitations they do act as a useful reminder to course designers and facilitators about the variable ‘start standards’ of online learners. It’s clearly essential to ensure appropriate support mechanisms are in place. The questionnaires also help learners manage their expectations & time – hopefully increasing motivation?

[KateHogan]

I just did three of the questionnaires and there are varying levels of self-reflection required.  In the end, as a student, I saw them as “food for thought” …..they gave some focus on personal attributes that may help or hinder me in pursuing an on-line course.

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