[MmMouton]

I am of two minds about these questionnaires and have enjoyed reading the comments above as I try to figure our their validity as tools to potentially “weed out” unsuitable learner-types. Firstly, I think the 2 most important things a person needs for an online course (which I teach so you must excuse me as I come from this specific angle) are:
a) experience and comfort with online tools; and
b) self-motivation (and all the wonderful skills related to this).
Georgeroberts above mentions that questions about procrastination etc seem moralising, but from my experience over the last 3 years, students that have struggles with time-management, regardless of their computer skills, cannot succeed in an online course (or at the very least struggle painfully through). Personally I  believe that students signing up for a fully online course should be informed in advance that they MUST have a certain level of self-motivation and time-management skills.

And which students are most likely to take an online survey – the students that can’t manage their time to log in before week four or figure out how to open a hyperlink, or the students that are already exploring the course and have a comfort level with technology? What I am suggesting is that the people most likely to take a survey may indeed be the very types of students that are already suitable for online or technology-enhanced learning, while those who struggle will have skipped the survey altogether or not even know it was there. Regarding the survey that asks about using a mouse – a person who doesn’t know how to use a mouse would not have navigated far enough to even get to this question. It would be great if students had enough self-awareness that they would recognize their suitability for traditional versus distance learning, but I have had numerous students tell me that they have low computer literacy and despite this, still signed up for a fully online course. I don’t understand it, but it happens semester after semester.

Michelle Mouton (Whitby, Canada)

[MmMouton]

I am also all over the place on the graph. I think that’s a good thing though, as the point is to provide a variety of experiences for the diversified students that we teach. If we consider the multi-faceted profiles of students (people in general) we have introverts, extroverts, multiple learner types, various levels of knowledge, students with disabilities, students that are gifted, various levels of computer literacy… and the list goes on and on. My personal opinion is that we should be ping-ponging all over that graph with glee, but ensure that our assessments follow that ball too!

[MmMouton]

Hi there,

I teach Art History, Art Appreciation, and Art & Aesthetics at Durham College in Oshawa, Canada (east of Toronto). I teach fully online and f2f classes. In my spare time I dabble in oil painting and pen & ink drawing, teaching these skills at local community centres and in my studio. I have loved using GoogleArtProject and Google Streetview to take my students on “fieldtrips”, and am keen to learn new ways to engage and retain students. Looking forward to finding out what you use with your students!

Michelle Mouton
Whitby, Canada

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