eLearning and learning support

Increasing numbers of blended and also purely online units and courses at UWA, make it timely to think about the learning process in the eLearning environment. How is it different from the 'traditional' learning experience? How is it the same? What knowledge can we carry over into this new environment and what assumptions should we be wary of? The answers to these questions will play a large part in successful provision of relevant learning support.

Online materials covering generic study, assignment and research skills can complement course materials. Student feedback confirms that students are keen to use practical online support materials, in particular those which extend the content delivered in face-to-face workshops and which provide opportunities to practice as well as to receive feedback. There remains, however, the question of the extent to which support is needed for eLearning itself - 'How to learn online'. A related question is how and by whom this will be best delivered.

While there is considerable effort underway to characterise, and thereby understand and better service, the 'Net Gen' (generation that grew up in the age of internet), we can expect that the users of online materials will form a diverse cohort with diverse reasons for undertaking online learning, and with diverse learning styles, life and technology experiences, strengths and weaknesses. For some students learning online will be entirely new and may require substantial changes to the ways they usually study and engage with the material. Others may find that their innate strengths and weaknesses are more pronounced. Many students, for example, struggle to manage their time and study effectively, a vital skill for successful and independent learning in higher education in general. These skills may be further stretched in the eLearning environment. It is not uncommon for students faced with iLectures to comment that they flounder when the motivation and structure offered by face-to-face lectures are removed. Regular deadlines in online units may well counter this to some extent, but time and study management, along with personal motivation skills, will be crucial to students' success in the online environment.

In addition, the straightforward transferability of generic skills from the face-to-face to the online environment cannot be taken for granted. Students rightly note that group work requires a different set of skills for online groups as opposed to face-to-face groups, specifically in relation to underpinning communication and organisational skills. As a further example, regional students have asked for assistance in developing practical strategies specific to reading and note-taking online. These examples suggest just some of the issues of relevance to students. More importantly, they indicate that the broader task is to provide online generic support, along with timely and well-placed support for eLearning itself.