[James Kerr]

Helen,

Your quizzes are quite comprehensive and the feedback is extremely helpful.  I wonder though, would these results have a treatment effect (or such) in that they could cause a new online learner anxiety if they felt they didn’t score high enough, or the opposite, even reducing anxiety for one who thinks they’re not ready?

[James Kerr]

Well, that went badly.  My response formatted properly in the editor, then got completely munged.  Oh well.  I thought the University of Houston test was the most comprehensive in both the questions and the feedback.

[James Kerr]

Penn State University: Online Readiness Assessment
 
Penn State tool feels dated; in fact, it is (Windows NT? Mac OS 10.4?)
 
Results:
Your Total Score is :58        
           
Are you ready?
    You seem to realize that online courses require a considerable amount of time and you are willing to spend it. You have a perfect studying environment with minimum distractions. You finish all projects you start and are persistent in reaching your goals. You seem to learn very easily, have good problem-solving skills and feel very comfortable using online communications and discussing course topics with people you have never seen.
    All these are very important qualities for successful online learning, and you seem to be fully prepared to take charge of your own learning process. The fact that you consistently do things in advance and keep track of all your assignments also bodes well for your success in online learning. It looks like you are a very experienced computer user, and shouldn’t have any problems accessing or interacting with the online course. If you encounter a technical problem with your computer, you can always contact theITS HelpDesk.
    Hopefully this survey has helped you assess whether or not you want to enroll in an online course. If so, then Good Luck! Remember, you can talk with your advisor if you still have questions.
San Diego Community College: Online Learning Readiness Assessment
 
Dated:  comfortable using a mouse? Dialup?
 
Results:
You scored above 45!
You are ready for online learning!
Please review the suggestions below to improve your learning experience.
TASK                     SUGGESTIONS

Online Participation                        Regular and routine visits to your online course will improve your chances of success.
               
               
Interaction                         Interaction online is a positive aspect of distance education.
                              
               
Learning Styles                 Be prepared to read more material for your online course than you would for your traditional courses.

Having an understanding of visual and auditory tools and the software and hardware needed to use these formats of learning will increase the online learning experience.
                              
               
Communications                             You will communicate often with the instructor and other students through email, bulletin boards, and chat rooms.
                              
               
Time Management                          Being motivated and deadline driven will improve your chances of receiving good grades. Depending on the number of credits you will receive for the class you are taking will determine the amount of hours you will need to spend on the course.

You will need to budget your time to meet those needs. Plan on logging on to your course for at least 6 hours a week to ensure completion.

Many assignments are released based on date and time. If you miss that date or deadline, you cannot run to the instructors office and drop off your assignment.
                              
               
Technical Skills                 Having technical skills will only help you in the online learning process. Consider taking more advanced computer skills such as Web Page Creation to improve the quality of your homework.
                              
               
Accommodations                            If you have learning disabilities and if you have adaptive software and hardware to assist you with taking an online course, be sure to contact your instructor and let them know of your needs and abilities.
Online courses are now being designed to meet the needs of ADA requirements. So you should find the online learning experience to be very effective.
If you are a student with a disability, here are the links to the DSPS Department webpages:
San Diego City College
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego Miramar College
Continuing Education
                              
               
Equipment and Software Requirements                   You may be expected to use Plug-ins for your course.
Be prepared to download Plug-ins such as Acrobat Reader and RealPlayer.
                              
               
If you are a very busy individual, yet have the motivation and technical skills to complete an online course, you will find this experience very rewarding. Taking online courses is also a great alternative to the traditional classroom because it allows you to explore emerging technology and to enhance your computer literacy.

You can succeed as an online student if you…
•             Are self-motivated
•             Enjoy problem-solving
•             Practice good time management techniques
Distance learning is a great alternative to the traditional classroom. It provides students with the opportunity to continue with their hectic lifestyle while meeting the needs of completing their education.

Distance education with SDCCD Online Learning Pathways is a flexible and convenient opportunity for self-motivated students who have computer skills and feel they can communicate effectively through reading and writing. This program is perfect for people with busy schedules because class work can be completed at any time, day or night. Our virtual classrooms are asynchronous, so you choose when you’re ready to “go to class.” With an Internet participate anytime, anywhere. All courses are taught by instructors who will develop the curriculum, conduct the classes, give the assignments, post quizzes, answer questions, lead discussions, assign grades, and much more.

Prospective students should have skills or feel comfortable in the following areas in order to successfully complete an online course:
•             Technical Requirements
•             Standard word processing (Microsoft Word)
•             Handling e-mail, including sending e-mail attachments
•             Basic file management
•             Downloading software
•             Finding information on the Internet
Illinois Online Network: Self Evaluation for Potential Online Students
 
Dated:  phone line? Results are sparse; no meaning is given for the score or for the questions.
 
Results:
 
Your score is 12
Sign me up! You are a great candidate for online learning.
 
University of Houston: Test of Online Learning Success
 
Best of the lot.  Questions are specific but not technology-specific.  Comprehensive set of questions. Feedback is explicit, very explanatory.
 
Results:

Your Test of Online Learning Success Results
   

Your overall score is                         216.

If your overall score is:
190 – 201: You’re ready to go!
Individuals with a score in this range are more prepared for online learning than 50-75 percent of their student peers.
178 – 189: You’re almost there!
Individuals with a score in this range may experience a little difficulty with taking online courses. Look through the statements again and identify which areas you think you may need help. Are you a procrastinator? Do you need some help learning some time management skills? Do you need a little help overcoming some technical hurdles? With a little effort, you could be ready to go!
0 – 177: Proceed with caution.
Individuals with a score in this range may need to acquire some new skills before proceeding with online courses. You may need to increase your reading and writing skills, learn some time management skills, or take an introduction to computers course. Look over the statements again to identify the areas in which you need the most help and start there.

 

                                                            Your Computer Skills score is                                 5.00.
               
               

                                

Your Independent Learning score is                                                                  4.60.
               

                                

Your Dependent Learning score is                             5.00.
               

                                                     

Your Academic Skills score is                                 4.62.
               

                            Your Need for Online Delivery score is                             5.00.                        

Unlike the other subscales, the Need for Online Delivery score identifies a need instead of a skill. If your score is 3.4 or higher, it indicates that your lifestyle (i.e., career, family structure, personal responsibilities, distance to higher education entities) may demand the flexibility that the online classroom can provide.
                           
A score below 3.4 suggests that you do not have a pressing need for online delivery of instruction. Online courses are just one of several options for you.
                           
For more information on the scoring of this self-assessment, visitDr. Marcel Kerr’s website. You will find more information on the different sections of this survey as well as links to study skills websites and technology tutorials.

[James Kerr]

Agreed, Anortcliffe, there seems to be little assessment for learning these days; rather, the assessment of learning, where students/participants are all assumed to be starting from the same level of knowledge.  This can cause a situation where some are immediately behind, and others are dragged behind only to eventually catch up to where they began later in the course.

Is it likely that this is due to economics, where it is simply unaffordable and inefficient to individually assess knowledge levels pre-instruction in order to individualize learning goals and plans?

[James Kerr]

Anna,

Personally, I favor blended and asynchronous environments.  For blended courses, I gravitate towards the HyFlex model. There are some distinct advantages to asynchronous course components, and they can lend themselves well to courses which require reflective thinking and discussion.

Asynchronous discussions tend to generate deeper discussions, as there is more time for students to consider their responses, and see input from peers.  There is an ongoing record of the discussion transactions that allows further reflection, and connections or threads to be made throughout the material.

HyFlex offers the best of both worlds; the synchronous chat channels allow for idea generation and brainstorming, and the asynchronous channels, as well as the recorded sessions allow for deeper reflection and review of content.

Neither of these is a panacea for all coursework, however.  Asynchronous, blended, or otherwise online courses may not work for every content area, and certainly not for every instructor.  For instructors who may not be keen to online learning, perhaps a way to ease them into it is to explore flipped classrooms, and encourage more contact interaction with their students via e-mail.  This could lead to further exploration of the online environment, as class time face-to-face can be used for more stimulating discussion or deeper exploration of topics.  Students still value face time with instructors, but they also want the convenience of accessing course content and materials online.

Jim

[James Kerr]

I am interested in the stats of how many attended the webinar live (I was there live at 7:30 am in the US and there were about 110 by my recollection) and how many watch the recording.  I would also compare those numbers against the number of registered participants for the MOOC, and against those who are actively participating so far.

Watching the participation rates of MOOCs as the course progresses is an interest of mine.

[James Kerr]

* What can we tell about the range of experiences and preferences among ocTEL participants?

Wildly variable!  As MOOCs go, this is relatively small and cozy, but in a course with 10,000+ participants, it would be more difficult to gauge the cross-section of participants’ experiences.  As the course progresses, active participation numbers will decrease due to attrition and dropout, but committed, active participants will enjoy more access to course coordinators.

* What challenges does this present for the course?

Challenges of scale remain, IMO, the biggest challenge for MOOCs.  The distributed nature allows organic separation into groups, or communities, of those with similar ideas/experiences/interests.

* In what ways is a MOOC well or poorly suited to these challenges?

Well suited as a sounding board for sharing ideas, brainstorming, and networking.  Peer-regulated activity can be a good motivator, and suits the nature of the MOOC.

[James Kerr]

Hello,

I’d like to throw my hat in for this group as well.  I work on a regional campus of a larger University system, and work with distance-delivered content and support online programs.

Cheers,

Jim

[James Kerr]

I just posted mine in week 0 bu t watch out – it takes out all your paragraph breaks 🙁

[James Kerr]

Can post to the mailing list, your own blog, or twitter.  Would be nice to have a forum for this too, hint hint nudge nudge…

[Author]

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